Yes, more snow is on the way.
Thirty centimetres of snow is forecast to fall today and tonight in that areas as a deep low-pressure system crosses Vancouver Island.
Snow will increase significantly in intensity and southeast winds will rise in excess of 70 km/h Wednesday night. Blowing snow with poor or near zero visibility is expected.
10cm now at sea level in #UnionBay @CHEK_News pic.twitter.com/8qUoPr5uUL
— Dean Stoltz (@deanstoltzchek) January 15, 2020
Coastal areas will see temperatures rise above freezing overnight tonight and may see precipitation change to rain. However, inland and higher elevations will continue to see heavy snow until Thursday morning.
Environment Canada is asking drivers in those areas to consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve. Rapidly accumulating snow will make travel difficult. Visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times in heavy snow and blowing snow. If you must travel, keep others informed of your schedule and destination and carry an emergency kit and mobile phone.
Mainroad said it is expecting to see 15 to 30 centimetres of snow in the Comox Valley. Southeast winds between 70 km/h and 90 km/h is also in the forecasted. Temperatures are expected to rise overnight and heavy rain is anticipated. Fifty to 100 millimetres of rain forecasted between Thursday to Saturday.
Elsewhere, a snowfall warning is in effect for east Vancouver Island from Duncan to Nanaimo, the Malahat Highway – Goldstream to Mill Bay, the Southern Gulf Islands and inland Vancouver Island.
Snow from an approaching low-pressure system will continue today, Environment Canada said, and will intensify tonight. However, snow near sea level is expected to change to rain this evening as temperatures rise.
Additional snow accumulations of five to 15 cm can be expected in the areas under the snowfall warning before the snow changes to a few rain showers.
Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow.
And there is a wind warning in effect for east Vancouver Island, Greater Victoria and the Southern Gulf Islands.
Ahead of the low-pressure system, southeast winds of 70 to 90 km/h will develop in Greater Victoria early in the evening and spread to the Southern Gulf Islands, East Vancouver Island – Duncan to Nanaimo, southern and western sections of Metro Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast later in the evening.
Winds will shift abruptly to the southwest late overnight or Thursday morning in the wake of the low with gusty winds.
Winds will ease Thursday morning.
The B.C. government says there is a travel advisory that applies to Vancouver Island on Highway 1 from Nanaimo south to Victoria, as well as Highways 14, 17 and 18.
Persistent snow, high winds and cold temperatures are causing poor road conditions, the government says. Those who must travel are asked to use extreme caution and drive to the conditions. The ministry advises travellers to expect winter conditions for the rest of the week.
All motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and drive according to weather and road conditions, slowing down when they encounter bad weather or limited visibility.
Winter tire regulations are in effect, and drivers are encouraged to get the best tires they can. People should ensure their vehicles have tires with the mountain/snowflake or mud and snow (M + S) symbol when travelling on designated routes.
Also, the B.C. government says it’s important to keep space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of yours so you can stop safely. Keep well back of all the winter maintenance equipment on highways so operators can perform their maintenance safely.
The snow has also led to many school closures across Vancouver Island. You can find a full list here.
Close to 30cm in Central Saanich. Schools closed understandably. #Snowmageddon2020 pic.twitter.com/o2Z0naFpP7
— April Lawrence (@AprilCHEK) January 15, 2020
@AprilCHEK the amount of snow is crazy in #OakBay too. #snowmageddon2020 pic.twitter.com/hWhkxGNf1H
— Mary Griffin (@Mary_Griffin_) January 15, 2020
Victoria police are asking drivers to not drive unless their vehicles are equipped for road conditions.
Major routes are compact snow. Most side roads are not plowed. Please only drive if your vehicle is equipped for the road conditions #yyjtraffic pic.twitter.com/IFvA8dZ657
— VicPD Traffic (@vicpdtraffic) January 15, 2020
The Victoria Cool Aid Society said the REES Support Services, the Labour Pool and Cool Aid’s Dental Clinic are all closed today. The Community Health Centre will close at 6 p.m. The Downtown Community Centre and all shelters remain open.
The Capital Regional District said curbside recycling collection is cancelled for all scheduled routes. Residents are advised to hold their recycling until the next collection day. Information about depots where recycling can be dropped off for free is available at www.crd.bc.ca/bluebox.
The City of Nanaimo is also recommending postponing non-essential travel. The city says crews were out last night and were able to move into secondary routes and some residential areas prior to the heavy snowfall around 4 a.m. City crews are focusing on keeping emergency and priority routes clear and will only move onto to secondary and residential once the snow subsides.
Weather forecasts are predicting a large amount of snow for today to Thursday. If at all possible, please consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve.
Transit is affected in Greater Victoria and the Regional District of Nanaimo.
Service Update – 2:00 pm. Conditions are starting to deteriorate, however service is still steady with a few affected routes. Please expect trip delays. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience. Stay tuned for more updates. ?⛄️ #rdntransit #Nanaimo pic.twitter.com/BCnOUKq0UB
— RDN_Transit (@RDN_Transit) January 15, 2020
Here is the Greater Victoria list of routes with detours or cancellations update for 1:30 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/lrAEfcQPt2
— BC Transit (@BCTransit) January 15, 2020
All service is suspended in the Cowichan Valley.
Due to the current road conditions in the Cowichan Valley, service is suspended. This includes the Cowichan Valley Commuter. We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage you to stay up to date by signing up for alerts at https://t.co/1JrAg7gJ9E and calling 2507469899.
— BC Transit (@BCTransit) January 15, 2020
In Courtenay on Wednesday afternoon, there was a collision between a car and a City of Courtenay snowplow following slippery roads. The drivers were not injured.
Car vs @CityofCourtenay snowplow. Slippery roads in #Courtenay contributed to this crash minutes ago. Drivers not injured. #BCStorm @CHEK_News pic.twitter.com/kipnYeIMEF
— Dean Stoltz (@deanstoltzchek) January 15, 2020
Parks Canada says it has closed the majority of its facilities in the Long Beach Unit of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve until further notice due to heavy snowfall and anticipated high wind conditions. This includes side roads such as Wick Road, Grice Bay Road, Radar Hill Road, all hiking trails, as well as parking lots.
Highway 4 remains open, and is being closely monitored for changing conditions. For current highway and road conditions, please visit www.drivebc.ca.
Please send all weather photos to [email protected].
CHEK News
