The Southern Gulf Islands and most of Vancouver Island are under a special weather statement due to more snow in the forecast for the rest of the week.
The special weather statement is in effect for east Vancouver Island, Greater Victoria, the Malahat Highway from Goldstream to Mill Bay, inland Vancouver Island, west Vancouver Island and east Vancouver Island from Courtenay to Campbell River, Duncan to Nanaimo and Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay.
Environment Canada said outflow winds through mainland coastal inlets and valleys will continue to drive cold arctic air into the Georgia Basin through much of the week. Over the next few days, a series of disturbances is expected to affect the B.C. south coast.
On Monday night, a weak system will be approaching the area from the northwest. Northwesterly winds are expected to develop over the Strait of Georgia overnight and where these winds converge with strong outflows from mainland coastal inlets, locally heavier areas of snow are likely to develop. Localized areas from Nanaimo to Qualicum Beach, southern Texada Island, and Half Moon Bay to Sechelt could be affected overnight and on Tuesday.
South Island cold & snowy conditions continue ?️ Crews are out around the clock. Thank you for the positive feedback & for communicating with us during #BCStorm #malahat #PMR #LakeCowichan #yyjsnow @TranBC @DriveBC_VI @malahatdrive @JdFemerg @SSIEmergency https://t.co/vmai1ccsOF
— Emcon Services Inc., South Island Division (@EmconSouthVI) January 13, 2020
Here is the Greater Victoria list of routes with detours or cancellations update for 4:15 p.m. All other routes are likely running late, so please plan ahead. Customer alerts will also be posted in our NextRide system. #yyjtraffic pic.twitter.com/KlfcjC9mMM
— BC Transit (@BCTransit) January 14, 2020
The second system will reach the south coast Tuesday evening and affect a more widespread area than the first, with snow is expected for much of the night. Mainland arctic outflow winds reaching the eastern coast of Vancouver Island will create the potential for increased snowfall amounts locally.
READ MORE: Sooke School District’s bus service to Finlayson Arm Road cancelled due to winter weather conditions
A third system is on the horizon for Thursday night. The weather agency said a fair degree of uncertainty exists regarding its impact upon the south coast. The mainland coast may suffer a glancing blow however Vancouver Island may see a considerable amount of snow as outflow winds increase with the passage of this system.
Parts of Vancouver Island saw snow Sunday, following high winds. Shawnigan Lake saw eight centimetres Sunday morning.
There was a fair bit of snow ?️ for the South Coast yesterday. First, wet snow on Sunday morning, then dry, fluffy snow in the evening. Here are a few snowfall accumulations… How much fell in your area? #BCStorm pic.twitter.com/nBYoCE3lN9
— ECCC Weather British Columbia (@ECCCWeatherBC) January 13, 2020
In the Capital Regional District (CRD), the Sooke Potholes Regional Park and Thetis Lake Regional Park have road closures due to the snow and ice. All regional parks are open to foot traffic.
The parking lot and road through the Sooke Potholes Regional Park are closed. There is a significant amount of snow on the road and reports that the road is extremely slick.
At Thetis Lake Regional Park, the road between the Main Beach and West Beach is closed. There is a significant amount of snow on the road and reports that the road is extremely slick.
The CRD said its prioritty is to clear sand and add de-icer to bridges and steep areas at high-use urban sections of the Galloping Goose, E&N Rail Trail & Lochside regional trails. Crews then clear the busiest regional parks’ parking areas and roads. Crews and equipment are deployed during weekday working hours to these different areas.
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