Drivers in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area may be getting used to snowy road conditions.
Oceanside RCMP responded to five vehicle incidents due to the snowfall on Sunday, Feb. 10, far less than the 18 reports of motor vehicle incidents a week earlier.
Related: Snow on roads keeps Parksville Qualicum Beach emergency crews hopping
The Qualicum Beach Fire Department responded to two incidents on Feb. 10, which both turned out to be false alarms, said chief Darryl Kohse.
“I am happy to report that this weekend was very quiet in Qualicum Beach,” Kohse said. “The larger snowfalls in general tend to keep people in doors and off the roads on the weekends. We are expecting another snowstorm later today (Feb.11) which might change things. We do recommend that people stay home if they don’t have to venture out.”
Highway 19a at Baylis Rd north of Qualicum Beach. #BCStorm #BCsnow @CTVNewsVI @GlobalBC @CHEK_News @50ShadesofVan @ParksvilleWX @alberniweather pic.twitter.com/OynAS1mqgE
— Dashwood Fire Department (@Dashwood6) February 11, 2019
The Nanoose Volunteer Fire Department didn’t respond to any accidents on Sunday, however Friday night kept members busy. Department chief Doug Penny said between 20 and 30 vehicles were involved in incidents occuring on Nanoose hill — the area of road on Island Highway East between the Chevron gas station and the Petro-Canada.
“The calls started and they just kept coming,” Penny said. “We just basically shut down the highway until the towing companies could get it sorted out and going again.”
Penny said the highway was closed to southbound traffic for about an hour Friday night.
According to Environment Canada, 18 centimetres of snow accumulated in the Qualicum Beach region as of 2 a.m. Feb. 11, with light snow expected to begin falling again in the area by 3 p.m. and continue through the night into Feb. 12. A snowfall warning was issued for Nanoose to Fanny Bay on Feb. 11.
Related: WATCH: Parksville senior on scooter, stuck in snow, gets a tow home
The sun is expected to come out on Wednesday with no snow in the forecast again until Thursday.
According to the Weather Network, a long period of snowfall with total amounts of 10 to 15 centimetres was expected for the Parksville area on Feb. 11. Snow is expected to continue to fall overnight into Tuesday.
All schools and school district worksites in School District 69 were closed Feb. 11.