Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island school districts closed while other regions reopen after snow day

Snowfall warnings have ended,but nearly a dozen school districts intheFraser Valley,Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast are closed again Wednesday due to snowy weather across the B.C. South Coast.

So far, the school districts and universitiesclosed Wednesdayare:

• Abbotsford (SD34).
• Agassiz (SD78).
• Chilliwack(SD33).
• CowichanValley (SD79).
• Fraser-Cascade(SD8).
• Greater Victoria (SD61).
• Gulf Islands (SD64).
• Nanaimo-Ladysmith (SD68).
• Powell River (SD47).
• Saanich (SD63).
• Sooke (SD62).
• Camosun College (Closed all day).
• The University of the Fraser Valley (Morning classes cancelled).

Early Wednesday, BC Transit announced bus service in the valleyhad been suspended for the day, but later said all central valley buses were running, albeit delayed.

More than twodozen school districts and several major universities across the region were closed Tuesday some for the second day in a row after a long, record-breaking snowy spellthat began Sunday.

HoweSound and Whistler are the only regions that remain under a weather warning for frigid arctic outflow, according to Environment Canada.

Conditions are still dicey on the roads across the South Coast. Highway 1, between the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver,is especially slippery. Drivers are asked to slow down and transit users should still leave extra travel time.

SkyTrains are being driven manually for the third day in a row due to ice buildup on the tracks. TransLink said this means passengers should expect longer gaps between trains and crowding at stations, especially during rush hour.

In northeasternB.C., an extreme cold warning is still in effect for the Peace River region, where wind chill values of 40are forecast around Fort St. John.

Records broken

Hundreds of children swarmed parks across the region during their day off school Tuesday. The Vancouver School Board said it had been "many years" since it called a snow day, while the Burnaby School District said it's been more than two years.

Most of Metro Vancouver has now seen threetimes the usual February average of six centimetres of snow.

On Vancouver Island, it's been the snowiest February in Victoria's history, with at least 55 centimetresand counting.

The provincial capital also haditssnowiest threedays since December2008.

BCHydro recorded its highest February peak hourly demand on Monday evening.