VICTORIA -- Several North Island schools remain closed Thursday as a snowfall warning continues in the region.
Six public school districts issued closures due to weather or power outages, including School District (SD) 68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith, SD 69 Qualicum, SD 71 Comox Valley, SD 72 Campbell River, SD 79 Cowichan Valley, SD 85 Vancouver Island North and two schools in SD 70 Alberni.
The remainder of Vancouver Island's school districts opened Thursday for classes, though many areas warned of bus service cancellations. The Saanich School District (63) and Sooke School District (62) are both reporting no bus service due to icy sections on some residential streets.
The North Island school closures come on the same day that Environment Canada renewed a snowfall warning for the region. The weather agency is expecting snowfall amounts of 10 to 15 centimetres to fall throughout the day.
BC Transit is also reporting bus issues across the islands more northern regions, with limited bus and HandyDART service in the Cowichan Valley.
Meanwhile, thousands of Vancouver Island residents are without power Thursday morning, with the hardest hit communities being the Port Alberni and Ucluelet areas, as of 9:50 a.m.
In the South Island, more than 1,000 people were without electricity as overnight winds knocked trees down across multiple power wires.
The latest updates on North Vancouver Island's weather alert can be found online here.
