Snow forces school closures in Victoria and Sooke

All schools are cancelled in Greater Victoria and Sooke today as southern and eastern Vancouver Island brace for a dump of up to 20 centimetres of snow.

Environment Canada has extended its snowfall warnings to cover the east coast of the Island and the southern Gulf Islands -- and it has doubled the amount of white stuff expected to muffle Victoria before the storm blows through later today.

Arctic outflow warnings remain posted over most of the South Coast, while Fraser Valley residents are enduring another day of frigid temperatures and blowing snow.

Conditions in parts of the Valley and along the Coquihalla Highway are treacherous, with visibility cut to near zero. The weather has prompted an advisory for Highway 5, with travel over sections of the Coquihalla not recommended unless absolutely necessary.

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  Pedestrians trudge through the snow-covered streets of Victoria. Jan. 18, 2012. (CTV)

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  Snow blows in front of a gas station in Abbotsford, B.C. Jan. 18, 2012. (CTV)

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  Pedestrians are seen walking along the sidewalk as the B.C. Legislature is lit up in the background in downtown Victoria, B.C. Monday, Jan. 16, 2012 during a heavy wet snow fall. Cooler than normal temperatures and snow are in the forecast for Victoria and Vancouver for the next few days. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward