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Nelson digs out from winter blast

Are your arms tired from shovelling this morning? You won’t get much of a break as more snow is on the way tonight.
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Nelson is digging out from the biggest dump of snow in recent memory.


Are your arms tired from shovelling this morning?

You won’t get much of a break, as a winter storm warning remains in effect.

Following the heaviest dump of snow in Nelson in recent memory — just shy of 14 inches (35.5 cm) fell outside the Star office between Sunday night and 11 a.m. Monday — Environment Canada is predicting another five centimetres of snow today, and another five to ten centimetres tonight. Tomorrow the snow will be mixed with ice pellets in the morning followed by a risk of freezing rain.

The power is out in the Slocan Valley for 1,200 customers between Passmore and Slocan City after a large tree came down on a line, possibly as a result of the snow. FortisBC's Michael Allison said crews are on scene and estimate electricity will be restored by 3 p.m.

The Kootenay Pass is closed 30 km west of Creston for avalanche debris removal, with an estimated opening between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Highway 31 is closed from seven to nine kilometres south of Meadow Creek because of high avalanche hazard. It is also closed from 12 to 22 km north of Trout Lake. Avalanche control begins at noon with estimated opening at 2 p.m.

There’s also a travel advisory for Highway 6 due to heavy snow.

Highways contractor YRB said they were working under numerous advisories and heavy snowfall warnings. “We are in full order,” said a woman who answered the phone this morning. “It’s crazy.”

Due to the extreme weather conditions, all buses in the Kootenay Lake school district were running late this morning with numerous stop changes, but they were running. Precise details are available by calling 1-855-352-0008.

“If anybody’s got a spare shovel, they’re welcome to help,” Nelson public works director Colin Innes joked. “Things are going pretty well so far. We’re totally focused on the snow. Based on what the weather looks like, we’re going to be busy for the next couple of days.”

The city has four plough trucks and two sidewalk ploughs going constantly. They also have some skidsteers at work and people hand-shovelling steps.

Crews have been out since early this morning: three people were on the early shift, 13 are working at the moment, and three more are scheduled to work the late shift. Casual employees are called in to shovel steps.

Emergency and bus routes are highest priority while rear lanes are the lowest. Innes said they hope to get into second priority areas today. He had not heard of any accidents as a result of the snowfall.

Nelson police Sgt. Dino Falcone said there had been no major incidents. “We’ve been lucky. Some people got stuck here and there, but no serious accidents.

He noted that under the city's bylaws, vehicles can't be parked on city streets in the same location for more than three consecutive days. Although that rule applies year-round, it is better-enforced in the winter to allow ploughs to get through.

Weather specialist Jesse Ellis at the Southeast Fire Centre in Castlegar said he measured 34 cm overnight there. “It’s the biggest dump I’ve seen since I moved here six years ago,” he said. “It’s definitely the most significant dump so far this winter, but falls short of the record.

The single-day January snowfall record in Castlegar is 44 cm, set in 1969. The all-time record of 46 cm was set December 24, 1965. Nelson-specific records are not available online from Environment Canada.

While the snow we received overnight was expected, Ellis said it was of lower density, meaning that it piled up higher than expected.

More snow is on the way today. Overnight, Ellis said, “things get a lot trickier.”

“The best case scenario is another 10 cm this evening and that wave of moisture moves to northeast,” he said. “Worst case we get that snow and potentially some freezing rain or rain on top of that midnight onwards.”

On the slopes, Whitewater received 29 cm of snow between 4 p.m. Sunday and 5 a.m. Monday.

(MORE TO COME)