A snow warning was issued Sunday afternoon for East Vancouver Island from Duncan to Nanaimo, while a snow warning, or special weather statement, was issued earlier in the day for the Saanich Peninsula in Greater Victoria. Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Ken Dosanjh tells CHEK News that cool Arctic air colliding with a low pressure system is providing plenty of moisture responsible for the expected weather. “So you bring those two components into effect, and that leads to potential snowfall concerns,” Dosanjh said in an interview. The East Island in particular is expected to see up to 10cm of snow late Monday morning and another 5cm overnight as pockets of disturbance may reach sea level to the south, according to Environment Canada. “As it moves through the Strait of Georgia, localized pockets of heavy snow will develop on southeast Vancouver Island,” the agency said in its statement. “Snow levels will initially be close to 200m but may drop to sea level depending on the intensity of the rainfall. “Confidence in the appearance is moderate, but confidence in the exact area and accumulation of snowfall is low as it will be highly variable.” The story continues below ⚠️ WEATHER ALERT ⚠️❄️ A #snow warning has been issued for #vancouverisland with a chance of heavy, accumulating snow on Monday from #Parksville to the #Cowichan Valley and the Saanich Peninsula #YYJ. Will vary greatly with elevation/temperature. @CHEK_News @CHEK_media #yyjwx #BCStorm #ycd pic.twitter.com/GNIzh1aobi — Tess van Straaten (@tessvanstraaten) November 6, 2022 Snow in the forecast has prompted road maintenance crews like Mainroad to prepare, with Dillon Thornton of Emcon Services saying trucks are putting brine on highways across the South Island in anticipation of changing conditions. Both companies told CHEK News that snowplows and sand and salt trucks are also on hand, and Thornton is urging those behind the wheel to also watch out for crews clearing the roads. “Make sure you don’t pass a plow on the right,” Thornton said. “If you see flashing yellow lights, slow down, move over and let our drivers pass if you’re in traffic and there’s snow on the ground. Most likely these trucks are trying to overtake you to make the roads safe to drive on.” READ ALSO: Repairs underway after windstorm that toppled trees and knocked out power for thousands The warnings and advisories follow wind warnings issued Friday for B.C.’s south coast, where howling gusts toppled trees onto power lines and left about 330,000 homes in the dark. Meanwhile, other areas of BC such as the Okanagan Valley and Fraser Valley are also under snowfall warnings, with the North and Central Coast under Arctic outflow warnings. Like Thornton, Environment Canada is urging drivers to prepare for sudden changes in conditions, as accumulated snow can make driving difficult in some locations, leading to possible travel delays and reduced visibility. The service asks people to monitor its alerts and forecasts and report severe weather by email [email protected] or by tweeting #BCStorm. Passengers can also check DriveBC for updated weather conditions.
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