Icy Weather

Rob Shaw, with files from Kim Westad, Times Colonist
Published: Thursday, January 11, 2007

Victoria was coated with the kind of weather that made for perfect snowballs yesterday, but will likely turn driving conditions treacherous today.

Between five and 14 centimetres of snow hit the ground around the region, bringing the morning commute to a virtual standstill in spots and keeping tow trucks busy throughout the day.

Some snow had melted by the afternoon, but temperatures were forecast to drop sharply last night and turn the slush into black ice this morning.

That could make for a repeat of yesterday's traffic problems: countless fender benders and cars in ditches.

"There were lots of accidents," said West Shore RCMP Cpl. Doug Brayley. "It was so slippery, some of the people were getting out of their cars and pushing them up the Trans-Canada Highway."

Black ice is blamed for two accidents around dinnertime on the Point Ellice Bridge and the Johnson Street Bridge. Each saw two cars hit each other. And while no one was injured, traffic was tied up for about half an hour.

Police cars prepared for the ice by putting chains on all their vehicles.

One of the biggest problems was jack-knifed semi trucks, said Brayley. They blocked traffic in numerous areas, particularly at the bottom of the Malahat near Goldstream Park where motorists trying to get in to or out of Greater Victoria were left waiting for hours.

Things were just as bad in Sooke. RCMP closed Sooke Road at Gillespie Road near the 17 Mile House Pub and Liquor Store, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. because cars were unable to traverse the nearby hill. The resulting backup created around a two-hour wait.

"We've been lucky, we haven't had anyone hurt," said Sooke RCMP Cpl. Kerry House. "But if it gets a little colder, we're going to have serious problems."

Unfortunately it will get colder today, thanks to an outflow of cold air from B.C.'s Interior, said Anne McCarthy of Environment Canada.