Much of B.C. getting warmer, but McBride walloped by several feet of snow

Although much of the province is getting a welcome reprieve from the frigid winter conditions this week, the story was a little different in McBride, a village southeast of Prince George near the B.C.-Alberta border.

There, snowfall Monday night, followed by wind, led to compact,five-foot-tall snowdrifts, closing businesses for the day and canceling school bus service.

"We only had 23 out of the 70 kids that arrived. Most of them were in town or couldn't go home last night because of the weather," said Kathy Molendyk, a secretary at McBride Secondary.

"You couldn't see anything [last night] and you could hear throughout the night the wind kept getting worse and worse. It wasn't until we arrived here we realized the buses weren't coming."

• Nasty weather hits B.C., worst is yet to come
• Goodbye deep freeze, hello rain. Typical West Coast winter weather set to return
• Frigid winter in B.C. could be ending next week, says forecaster

While a lack of students meant teachers weren't very busy, Joseph Rich, who owns two snowplows, had a very busy day.

Unbeknownst to him, his wife posted his phone number on a public Facebook group for anyone looking for assistance. Rich doesn't snowplow for workbut was happy to help, he said.

"I typically plow for friends and family anyway, but the phone's been ringing off the hook," he said. "There's been people stuck in their driveways, you name it."

Molendyk says she's optimistic about the next few days, as the forecast calls for rain as opposed to more snow.

With files from CBC Radio One's Radio West

To hear the full story, click on the audio labelled:Much of B.C. getting warmer, but McBride walloped by several feet of snow