By Dominic Abassi

‘Quite a few more centimetres:’ more snow headed for Nanaimo Friday evening, meteorologist says

Feb 8, 2019 | 1:48 PM

NANAIMO — While the mid-afternoon saw Nanaimo get a reprieve from a snowy morning, Environment Canada says another blast is on the way.

Meteorologist Armel Castellan said temperatures will drop late Friday afternoon and into the evening as more Arctic air moves across the Strait from the mainland towards Nanaimo. He said the winds will pick up moisture on the way, bringing more snow and gusty conditions.

“Things will be very unstable. They’re going to be shallow snow squalls, we call it ocean-effect snow. That could give quite a few more centimetres on top of the five or six we have seen so far Friday,” he said, adding some areas could see a total of up to 15 centimetres, while high winds could impact BC Ferries sailings.

Castellan said the snow should fade away by daylight Saturday, with the exception of a few flurries.

He encouraged people to closely watch conditions Friday night.

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“If you have travel you don’t necessarily need to do, or you can time it for Saturday a bit later in the day, it’s just not worth putting yourself out in those type of conditions.”

Snow began falling early Friday morning across the Nanaimo region, intensifying near noon before slowing around 2 p.m. While main roads and highways were mostly bare, side roads and residential areas were a mess. There were multiple accidents in areas across the city, although no reports of serious injuries.

Schools remained open and buses ran Friday afternoon. RDN Transit buses operated on adverse weather routing.

The City of Nanaimo said some homes will not have their waste collected Friday. People were instructed to place their bins back at the curb on Saturday and again on Monday if necessary.

As for the outlook, Castellan said there could be more flurries on Sunday into Monday and the cold pattern will linger for much, if not all, of next week.

“With highs of only around 0 C, we’re talking about seven degrees colder than normal for this time of year.”

He said snow could fall again next weekend.

For live updates on conditions as we receive them, follow along on our Facebook page.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi