Vancouver Island snowstorm leaves thousands without power, schools closed
CTV
Thousands of BC Hydro customers on northern Vancouver Island were in the dark Monday as overnight snowfall downed tree limbs and power lines.
More than 8,000 customers on the North Island were without electricity by 8 a.m., according to the power provider.
Campbell River, Port Hardy and Alert Bay were the communities most affected by the early outages.
Nearly 1,000 customers on Galiano Island were also without electricity Monday morning.
The overnight snowfall caused school closures in some regions of the island.
All schools in the Campbell River School District and the Comox Valley School District were closed Monday.
All Campbell River School District programs, facility rentals and evening events are also cancelled, the district said in a statement posted on its Facebook account.
"If you are a group that had reserved the use of one of our facilities, please contact the school board office receptionist to reschedule or receive a refund," the school district said.
Snowfall warnings remain in effect for every region of the island, with accumulation up to 25 centimetres predicted at higher elevations and inland regions.
