Dozens of flight delays, cancellations as heavy fog surrounds Vancouver airport

There were dozens of flight delays and cancellations at the Vancouver airport on Wednesday as a heavy fog enveloped much of B.C.'s Lower Mainland.

Vancouver International Airport urged outgoing travellers to check the status of their flights due to impacts from the weather, which caused "near-zero visibility" in some areas of the region, according to a fog advisory from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

"Thank you for your patience as teams work to move people and planes safely and as quickly as possible," YVR said in a social media statement.

Between departures and arrivals, there were more than 50 delayed or cancelled flights listed on the YVR website as of Wednesday evening, though it's unclear how many of those were caused by the dense fog.

The conditions were still affecting operations as of 7 p.m., according to an update from the airport.

Environment Canada forecasters cautioned the fog is likely to continue into Thursday afternoon, when a frontal system moves over the province's South Coast.

Until the air clears, the weather agency cautioned that travel is "expected to be hazardous due to reduced visibility."