Hail, snow hit capital; power outage in Saanich
It rained, it hailed and it snowed in the capital region on Monday, a reminder that winter is not quite over yet — even if it’s time for the annual Flower Count.
Hail hit parts of Greater Victoria and coated streets, while snow started to fall mid-afternoon on the West Shore. Other areas got a soaking rain.
Highway maintenance contractor Emcon Services reported snow was sticking to the ground on the Malahat on Monday evening, and DriveBC reported slushy sections and fog along several Island highways.
The conditions may have contributed to a motor vehicle collision in Saanich that knocked out power to a broad stretch of the municipality around 4:20 p.m. According to B.C. Hydro, more than 2,100 customers in Saanich were affected.
With temperatures forecast to hit a low of zero, between two and four centimetres of snow was expected to pile up, according to Environment Canada.
There is a chance of flurries on tonight, though the daytime is forecast to be mainly sunny with a high of 6 C.
The forecast is similar for much of the Island’s east coast, with temperatures dipping below zero and a chance of snow from Victoria to Port Hardy.
Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelt could be spared the snowfall, but freezing nighttime lows are expected for a few days.
The reminder of winter came as the annual Greater Victoria Flower Count — the region’s way of bragging about its weather to the rest of Canada — was launched on Monday.
Counting doesn’t officially start until Wednesday, by which time the snow should be gone. For more information, go to flowercount.com.