Close X
Friday, November 22, 2024
ADVT 
National

Snow shuts Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley schools as alerts blanket southern B.C.

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 17 Jan, 2024 10:35 AM
  • Snow shuts Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley schools as alerts blanket southern B.C.

All public schools in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley have been closed today, as heavy snow falls across a wide swath of southern British Columbia.

Some universities and colleges in the Lower Mainland have also cancelled in-person classes, including the University of B.C., Simon Fraser University and the B.C. Institute of Technology.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says an extreme weather alert is in place until Thursday, with extra shelter spaces being opened at 15 warming centres across the city.

Environment Canada says up to 20 centimetres is expected by this evening, and a snowfall warning is in place for all of Metro Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler and the Sunshine Coast. 

Dozens of snowfall warnings also cover the southern portion of B.C. from the Chilcotin to Creston.

Those warnings carry on into the southwest corner of Alberta, where accumulations of heavy snow from Banff to Milk River could reach 35 centimetres before it tapers off Thursday.

DriveBC, the B.C. Transportation Ministry’s information site, has issued travel advisories for 10 major routes In Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and southern B.C.

“Drivers are advised to stay off the roads unless their vehicle is properly equipped with winter tires,” the alerts say.

In the southern Interior, Highway 1 west of Revelstoke is closed in both directions this morning as crews conduct avalanche control work above the route.

Northern Alberta meanwhile remains under an extreme cold warning and temperatures could dip to -40 C through the rest of the week.

Extreme cold is also forecast for southern Ontario with icy conditions expected from Windsor to north of Toronto, as wind chill values fall to -30.

MORE National ARTICLES

Winter weather settles in over B.C. with warning of treacherous roads, avalanche risk

Winter weather settles in over B.C. with warning of treacherous roads, avalanche risk
British Columbia's government is warning residents of treacherous roads, cold temperatures and dangerous avalanche conditions as the year's first blast of winter settles in. The Ministry of Emergency Management said after a warm start to winter, the forecast has returned to what is more seasonal and will remain that way for the days and weeks ahead.

Winter weather settles in over B.C. with warning of treacherous roads, avalanche risk

16 cars damaged in Saanich

16 cars damaged in Saanich
Police in Greater Victoria are investigating a recent string of vehicle vandalism and asking for the public's help to identify a suspect. They say 16 vehicles were vandalized in Saanich over a week between December 29th and last Friday, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars' worth of damages.

16 cars damaged in Saanich

Volunteer search and rescue leaders allege mistreatment by B.C. government

Volunteer search and rescue leaders allege mistreatment by B.C. government
The former head of the B.C. Search and Rescue Association says the group's volunteer personnel have been bullied, threatened and disrespected by the province's Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. 

Volunteer search and rescue leaders allege mistreatment by B.C. government

RCMP to begin collecting, analyzing race-based data in pilot project

RCMP to begin collecting, analyzing race-based data in pilot project
The RCMP says it will begin collecting race-based data in select locations this month to better understand interactions between police and people in various communities. The pilot project follows two years of consultations across Canada.

RCMP to begin collecting, analyzing race-based data in pilot project

NASA delays Artemis II moon mission that includes Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen

NASA delays Artemis II moon mission that includes Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen
NASA says it will be delaying the Artemis II moon mission that includes Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, initially scheduled for November of this year. The U.S. space agency provided an update today on the timeline for the upcoming mission around the moon and said it will be pushed back to September 2025 due to a number of technical issues and to allow more preparation time.

NASA delays Artemis II moon mission that includes Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen

B.C. launches Canada's first self-screening cervical cancer plan, with at-home tests

B.C. launches Canada's first self-screening cervical cancer plan, with at-home tests
British Columbia is phasing out the pap test for cancer screening in favour of mail-in kits collected by patients. The government says trials have shown that screening for the human papillomavirus, or HPV, is more effective at finding pre-cancerous lesions compared with the pap test.

B.C. launches Canada's first self-screening cervical cancer plan, with at-home tests