Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., was among dozens of schools that closed their doors Thursday because of the winter wonderland blanketing the South Coast.

Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for the region early in the day, predicting five to 10 centimetres of the white stuff falling on the region by the evening.

The agency said inland regions could receive up to 15 centimetres.

In Pictures: Winter Wonderland

SFU cancelled classes at its campus just after 3 p.m. because of the icy road conditions leading into its mountainous facility.

School administration said snow began falling heavily at noon and there was a concern of freezing rain as temperatures hovered around the 0 degree mark.

All campuses of The University of the Fraser Valley closed because of weather at 4 p.m., with school officials promising an update Friday morning.

Meanwhile, TransLink temporarily suspended its bus service to SFU Burnaby Mountain because of the icy roads.

The company said Canada Line service had resumed running normally across the Fraser River. Earlier in the day, passengers were trapped for more than an hour after a car got stuck in the ice across the bridge.

The HandyDART service was running on an emergency-only basis, handling only calls bound for work, cancer treatment appointments and renal dialysis.

Change is coming

The arctic outflow winds that sent much of B.C. into a deep freeze earlier this week are being replaced by a stronger impulse that will bring milder air and increased moisture. Snow accumulation is expected to change into rain Thursday afternoon as temperatures climb.

Higher terrain areas and the Fraser Valley are expected to hold onto snow the longest.

Further east, as much as 20 centimetres of snow was expected to fall on the Coquihalla Highway.

Snow day

All schools in Nanaimo and Ladysmith on Vancouver Island closed for the day because of the inclement weather.

Officials also shut down all schools on the Sunshine Coast, district 46.

All Metro Vancouver public schools, from West Vancouver south to Delta and east to Coquitlam, remained open.

The exceptions were some private schools in Abbotsford, South Surrey and Langley, as well as St. George's in Vancouver.