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Snowfall wreaks havoc on Greater Victoria

Crashes, power outages, transit delays, school updates and more

Snow is wreaking havoc throughout Greater Victoria.

A number of local roadways are closed as emergency crews work to clear crashes.

BC Transit is reporting a number of delays and service disruptions. Find the latest route information here.

READ MORE: Snowfall cancels, delays transit routes across Greater Victoria

The Shawnigan Lake RCMP is warning motorists conditions on the Malahat are not safe. The Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure is advising that the Malahat portion of Highway #1 is currently experiencing heavy snowfall and that winter tires – and chains for commercial vehicles – are required for the mountain pass.

READ MORE: Conditions not safe on Malahat: RCMP

Drivers are being warned to use caution in today’s snowy weather which has created treacherous and hazardous road conditions and led to numerous rollovers around the Sooke Region on Friday.

Sooke RCMP is reporting “several rollovers” on Gillespie Road, near Roche Cove.

READ MORE: Numerous crashes around Sooke, police urge drivers to use caution in the snow

BC Hydro restored power to more than 2,300 people in Saanich after a motor vehicle incident. Crews were on-site in the Quadra/Cloverdale area after power was affected by a crash just before noon.

READ MORE: Crews work to restore power to 2,300 people in Saanich

On the West Shore, Langford Fire Rescue is asking anyone who does not have to be out on the roads today to stay home.

“We have already had a number of car crashes today, we’re only about halfway through the day so we just want everybody to be safe,” said Assistant Chief Lance Caven. “If you don’t have to be out there just stay home and enjoy the snow.”

READ MORE: Langford fire, bylaw officials say stay home if you can

Harbour Air Ltd. has cancelled all remaining flights for the day because of ongoing weather conditions.

According to Flight Aware, the Victoria International Airport is reporting departure delays of an average of 52 minutes with some cancellations.

Schools in all three Greater Victoria districts were open this morning, however, parents can pick up their children early. All schools will remain open until the end of the day and buses are expected to run normally this afternoon.

Camosun College closed at 1:30 p.m., with libraries at both campuses open until 2:30 p.m.

READ MORE: Schools will remain open until end of the day

Several regions across B.C. are being urged to brace for extreme cold reaching as low as -40 C overnight.

READ MORE: Much of B.C. seeing snow, -40 C wind chills


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