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Drivers warned of limited visibility, slush on Malahat

The snow is expected to continue through Tuesday, Environment Canada said.
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Highway 1 just south of Bamberton looking west at about 10 a.m. Monday. VIA DRIVE BC

Drivers were being warned about limited visibility and slushy sections on the Trans-Canada Highway from Langford to Mill Bay on Monday afternoon, as a result of snowfall and fog.

A snowfall warning was issued earlier for the Malahat, the southern Gulf Islands in the area of Galiano and Valdes islands, and parts of east Vancouver Island, with 10 to 15 centimetres of snow expected from Duncan to Nanaimo and Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay. Snow was also falling on Monday in Greater Victoria.

Another 10 to 15 centimetres was possible on the Malahat from late Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning, said Environment Canada meteorologist Derek Lee.

The snowfall could continue in parts of the Victoria area, along with showers or wet flurries, until late Tuesday morning, Lee said. Overnight accumulations of up to two centimetres might be followed by a few more centimetres during the morning, he said.

“Then it should be clearing after that.”

B.C. Transit issued a notice at 10:20 a.m. Monday that Route 52 Bear Mountain, Route 59 Triangle Mountain and Route 60 Wishart had all been altered due to snow-related conditions.

Route 52 was not serving Bear Mountain, while the other routes were not serving Triangle Mountain.

“Customers are strongly encouraged to check before they travel for any impacts to their routes,” B.C. Transit said in a statement. “We will provide customer updates through our alerts system at bctransit.com.”

At about 2:50 p.m., B.C. Transit advised of several more route alterations and the cancellation of Route 35 Ridge, which was back later in the afternoon.

The Sooke School District changed drop-off points for buses in East Sooke and the Highlands due to the snow.

Road conditions can be found at drivebc.ca.

jbell@timescolonist.com