More snow expected overnight for parts of Vancouver Island

After parts of Vancouver Island received their first bouts of snow, Environment Canada says there is still more on its way.

Bobby Sekhon, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, says there is still more snow coming for parts of the Island.

“The next round of snowfall will be this evening and into tonight. It’ll be mainly East Vancouver Island, and especially southern sections,” Sekhon said. “We can expect local snowfall amounts along East Vancouver Island of about five centimetres. So you’re looking at places like Nanaimo, and then for the Malahat, we’re looking at more like 10 centimetres tonight, so a little bit more along the higher terrain there.”

Sekhon said the snow on the Malahat isn’t expected to start until about 7 or 8 p.m., but it is still important for people to drive safely for the conditions on the road. He recommends making sure your vehicle is equipped with snow tires and having an emergency kit put together.

The weather agency has issued a weather warning for East Vancouver Island from Duncan to Nanaimo and the Malahat Highway for the potential for heavy snow.

Overnight on Sunday, Sekhon says Campbell River received the most snow, about 12 cm, followed by Zeballos with six cm, Heriot Bay with four cm, Port Hardy with 1.6 cm, and Chemainus with 0.4 centimetres.

“If we look at the average amount of snowfall that Campbell River gets in the month of November, it’s usually around 10.5 centimetres,” Sekhon said. “It’s not out of the question for them to get that kind of snowfall in November, but it doesn’t happen super often.”

Sekhon says the temperatures are expected to rise over the week, so the snow is not expected to stick long-term.

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