B.C. school closures announced as snow, cold linger over south coast

Another blast of winter weather meant another day of chaos on the roads in Metro Vancouver and more school closures in a number of cities.

Some schools in British Columbia have canceled in-person classes Tuesday as extreme winter weather warnings remain over parts of the province.

Environment Canada is forecasting between two and four centimetres of new snow for Metro Vancouver, tapering off into the afternoon, while parts of Vancouver Island could see five more centimetres added to Monday’s totals of between 15 and 20 centimetres.

All elementary and secondary schools in North Vancouver and West Vancouver are closed Tuesday, as are public schools in the Greater Victoria, Saanich, Cowichan Valley, Qualicum, Comox Valley, Campbell River and Gulf Islands school districts.

All schools in the Sooke School District, one of the fastest growing districts in the province, are open Tuesday, though administrators say parents and guardians can make their own decision whether or not to send their child to school.

The University of British Columbia has cancelled in-person classes at its Vancouver campus.

On-campus learning is also cancelled at Capilano University’s campuses in North Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast, however the school’s Squamish campus remains open.

Simon Fraser University has closed its campuses due to the weather. Trinity Western University’s campus in Richmond is closed, though its Langley campus will remain open.

The University of Victoria, Camosun College, Vancouver Island University, Royal Roads University, Vancouver Community College, Langara College, North Island College and Douglas College campuses are all closed due to the snow.

Environment Canada has issued arctic-outflow warnings for parts of the province. The weather office says B.C.‘s north and central coasts can expect wind chill values as low as –25 C.

Meanwhile, coastal inlets could see northeasterly winds gusting up to 120 km/h before easing Wednesday morning.