It doesn’t happen often where heavy snowfall is the norm, but officials are declaring a snow day in Williams Lake.
Thompson Rivers University has closed its Williams Lake campus as of 3 p.m. on Wednesday due to severe weather and the university will remain closed on Thursday.
A winter storm warning is in effect for the Cariboo, with snowfall up to 50 centimetres possible in some areas. Meteorologist Doug Lundquist said about 20 centimetres of snow has fallen at the Williams Lake airport since noon on Tuesday.
@StormHour @EarthandClouds @ECCCWeatherBC @JWagstaffe @KGordonGlobalBC @RoyMatias3 @happywxfriend #williamslake #stormhour #winter #snow Current conditions in WL snow coming down at at least 1cm an hour for past three hours. pic.twitter.com/gPXcGZGB7j
— Jorge Matias (@JorgeMatias679) February 7, 2018
Snowfall warning indeed! @KGordonGlobalBC #WilliamsLake pic.twitter.com/nrW1ZTcXxg
— Jennifer C (@flyingfingers73) February 7, 2018
“We’re expecting another 10 to 15 centimetres tonight, with maybe 20 in the Cariboo mountains east of town, and then another five tomorrow,” Lundquist said.
“It’s definitely an epicentre of bad weather right now — unless you’re a skier and then you’re actually rejoicing.”
The university said the severe snowstorm has made travel conditions hazardous. Classes are expected to resume Friday morning, but opening could be delayed if the storm persists, TRU says.
Travel advisories are in effect around Williams Lake, with Drive BC saying travel is not recommended unless "absolutely necessary."
TRU is asking students to check the website before heading to class on Friday morning. An update on whether the campus will reopen on Friday will be posted on the website by 4 p.m. on Thursday.
As for Kamloops, Lundquist said it looks as though the Tournament Capital will be in the clear. He said there is a minor 20% chance Environment Canada will have to extend the storm warning to the Kamloops area, but that is not the likely scenario.
Tonight, Environment Canada is predicting periods of rain and up to five centimetres of snow at higher elevations in Kamloops.
“If it cools off sooner than we think tomorrow, we could get more, down in the valley even,” Lundquist said.
