WATCH: Clean up from a surprising overnight snowstorm was underway all day Friday on central Vancouver Island. While Victoria escaped with just a skiff, communities from Parksville to the Comox Valley were blanketed by several inches of snow. Skye Ryan has more.
Winter’s getting a running start in Cumberland, where residents woke to the village’s earliest snowfall in memory Friday.
“I think it’s beautiful,” said Cumberland resident Abigail McKague. “I think it’s a little strange because the leaves haven’t come off the trees yet but I’ll take it. Kids love it,” she said.
Environment Canada reported up to 17 centimetres of snow fell in the Comox Valley before the storm moved through.
“No it sure caught us by surprise,” said Cumberland resident Donald Van Humbeck. “I thought I wasn’t expecting this until December.”
Areas from Parksville north were hit the hardest, with several crashes on the Inland Island Highway near Qualicum Beach as drivers dealt with iced-over pavement after an overnight freeze.
“I pulled up to two incidents where a secondary incident happened as I was getting on scene,” said Qualicum Beach Fire Chief Darryle Kohse. “So the conditions are pretty slick out there and we’d like people to slow down and just watch for the road conditions,” said Kohse.
Snow removal crews have been out on the roads around the clock since the snow began falling Thursday.
Emcon’s Oliver Watson, said this is the earliest start to the snowclearing season he can remember.
“It is an early start yes,” said Watson, “And fortunately we’ve got all of our materials in place, all of our ducks are in a row we were pretty much ready for anything to happen and it did.”
So the children of Cumberland will enjoy it to the max, while it lasts. After all in Vancouver Island’s mild climate, there’s no promises when it will be back.
Skye Ryan
