Republished February 14, 2019 - 6:01 PM
Original Publication Date February 14, 2019 - 5:51 AM
VANCOUVER - Rain and wet snow fell on British Columbia's south coast on Thursday evening as Environment Canada predicted five to 15 centimetres of the white stuff by early Friday.
The national weather agency had snowfall warnings in place for Metro Vancouver, Greater Victoria, eastern Vancouver Island, the southern Gulf Islands, Sunshine Coast and Fraser Valley.
Heaviest snowfall was expected Thursday evening but weather office says milder temperatures mean the snow could change to rain overnight in parts of Metro Vancouver, Greater Victoria and the southern Gulf Islands.
The agency says mixed precipitation will spread to most other south coastal regions Friday afternoon or evening.
The warnings come as public school students who have been out of school since Monday in many districts, including Greater Victoria, prepare to head back to class, although some schools in the Lower Mainland were set to be closed for professional development days.
In the Howe Sound and central coast regions, powerful winds are the problem, with the weather office warning of gusts between 90 and 110 kilometres per hour.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2019