After a winter storm swept across the province on Wednesday night, a large portion of southern British Columbia was covered in a thick layer of snow.
According to Environment Canada, as of 4 p.m. PT, there had been 28 centimeters of snowfall at Vancouver International Airport. Volunteer weather watchers were reporting more than 30 centimeters of snowfall in some areas of the Lower Mainland, with a maximum of 39 centimeters in Chilliwack.
The University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, BCIT, and Capilano University all declared that in-person classes would be canceled on Thursday for the second day in a row, despite the fact that the snow had subsided in Metro Vancouver by evening.
Environment Canada has released fresh weather warnings regarding another storm that is expected to hit the region starting on Thursday afternoon. On Vancouver Island, where up to 21 centimeters of snow have been reported in some areas, the warnings are due to another storm.
By Friday afternoon, an additional 10 to 20 centimeters of snow could fall on the eastern side of the island, while strong winds and extended freezing rain showers could be experienced inland.
Public transportation users were advised to anticipate delays as the snow began to melt in Metro Vancouver in time for the afternoon commute. There will be less room for passengers on some major routes as TransLink announced that its 18-meter articulated buses are being replaced with 12-meter vehicles, which are more maneuverable in the snow. While conditions improve, some bus routes in the Tri-Cities have been canceled and the SkyTrain is operating less frequently. When it comes to the efforts being made to get people where they’re going, TransLink spokesperson Tina Lovgreen said, “it’s really all hands on deck today.”
Early on Wednesday, the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver school districts all declared that there would be no classes.
On the other hand, all of the schools in the Greater Victoria and Sooke school districts will open on Wednesday.
All throughout the Sunshine Coast and the remainder of southern Vancouver Island, classes were canceled. In order to learn about closures, parents in other parts of the province were advised to visit the website of their district or school.
As the second winter storm of 2024 accumulated snow, the majority of post-secondary institutions, including Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, also canceled on-campus classes.
