Parts of Vancouver Island were blanketed in snow Thursday morning, creating chaos for motorists who may have been caught unaware by the winter weather.

A car travelled into a ditch on Highway 19 south of Courtenay after snow fell on the route, creating slippery conditions.

In Cumberland, a thick layer of snow blanketed streets and houses and turned to slush on area roadways.

The snowfall came after Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for Vancouver Island, warning of an influx of modified arctic air from the Interior that could produce snow or a rain-snow mix.

The snow was mostly seen in the Courtenay and Comox areas and more was expected throughout the early afternoon.

Flurries were also creeping closer to Nanaimo but were likely to transition to rain by the early evening, according to CTV meteorologist Astrid Braunschmidt.

"That cold precipitation moves south and so the Cowichan Valley will see some snow today. It looks like some wet flurries are coming for higher elevations maybe in Metchosin, at the Malahat," said Braunschmidt.

Commuters on the Saanich Peninsula are more likely to see rain on their drive home from work, while higher elevations in Langford could see a brief rain-snow mix.

Victoria City Works said it was preparing for possible snow, lining up brine trucks in case of any snowfall in the region.