Cleanup continues after 20 centimetres of snow falls in the Comox Valley during winter storm

Heavy snow on a yard and street in Courtenay. (Ashley Anness).

A winter storm that made its way across Vancouver Island dumped quite a bit of snow in the Courtenay area.

Snowfall accumulations recorded by Environment Canada show that from the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019 to 9 a.m. on Jan. 9, 2019, 24 centimetres of snow fell in Courtenay while 13 to 18 cm were recorded in Comox.

There was also 16 cm in Campbell River, 8 cm in Powell River, 7 cm in Port Alberni and 6 cm in Nanaimo.

During the winter storm, a snowfall warning was in effect for inland Vancouver Island and east Vancouver Island.

A cool air mass currently over the region meant that precipitation began as snow this morning. Gradual warming caused the snow to become mixed with rain or change to rain Tuesday night, depending on the area.

Drivers were advised by Mainroad to leave extra time to get to their destination and expect slippery sections and slushy areas. There were some vehicles seen off the road, including a semi-truck on Highway 19 Inland Island Highway near Cumberland and Courtenay. No injuries were reported in that incident.

Evening classes at the Campbell River and Comox Valley North Island College campuses were cancelled but the campuses opened by Wednesday morning. However, Cumberland, Miracle Beach and Royston schools in the Comox Valley School District were closed Wednesday due to poor road conditions on the side roads. G.P. Vanier Secondary is open but north and south rural buses to the school are not running.

Mainroad Mid Island Contracting is continuing to plow and deice the roads in the areas where it snowed.

There are no longer any snowfall warnings for Vancouver Island as the front system moves through the rest of B.C., but a wind warning is in effect for the north island.

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