Environment Canada has issued a new snowfall warning for Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Greater Victoria, the Sunshine Coast, and the Southern Gulf Islands.
The forecast calls for two centimetres of snow during the Thursday afternoon rush hour, another five to 10 centimetres overnight with the risk of freezing rain Thursday evening, and wet snow mixed with rain Friday morning, with another two centimetres of snow possible.
And while the extended forecast calls for sunshine Sunday, more snow could hit B.C.’s South Coast on Monday.
WATCH: Southwestern B.C. is getting a break from the weather, just enough time to clean up and dig out from a February winter storm. Grace Ke has the latest.
Thursday’s snow warning came as much of B.C.’s South Coast was beginning to dig out from a bout of snowfall and freezing temperatures.
Schools were closed across the region, leaving some parents scrambling to find childcare.
Most students in the Lower Mainland will be home from school on Friday regardless of the weather. More than half of the public schools in the region — including Vancouver, North Vancouver, Langley and Abbotsford school districts and all catholic schools — will be closed for professional development or non-instructional days.
Public schools in Surrey are scheduled to be open as usual. Surrey School District spokesperson Doug Strachan says if they have to close because of the snow, they’ll try to make a decision by 6:30 a.m.
WATCH: Parents coping with snow days
Transit users in the Fraser Valley had a tough commute after service was suspended for two hours in Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission, Hope and Agassiz due to the weather.
The break in the weather on Wednesday allowed crews in Vancouver to focus on cleaning up side streets with a focus on hills, school zones and care facilities.
“With some let-up in the weather and some rain, we’re going to have some ice concerns,” Erin Hoess, manager of street operations with the City of Vancouver, said Wednesday.
WATCH: B.C.’s South Coast cleans up from winter storm
Crews in Victoria have been working to deal with what many call the worst snowstorm in more than 20 years.
In the Howe Sound, Whistler and central coast regions, powerful winds are the problem, with the weather office warning of gusts between 90 and 110 kilometres per hour.
An arctic outflow warning also remains posted for the Whistler and Sea-to-Sky areas shivering through windchill values of -20, although forecasters expect conditions will ease later in the day as temperatures and winds moderate.
WATCH: For the otters at the Vancouver Aquarium, they are enjoying playing in the snow. And for Valentine’s Day, they also got a special treat.
— With files from Erin Ubels and The Canadian Press
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