Temperatures today are expected to reach -18 C counting the wind chill but all lower Vancouver Island schools, except one small private school, are open today. However, districts with bus service are warning of delays.

The only school reporting a closure is Lighthouse Christian Academy.

Police are warning motorists to use extreme caution as frozen side streets will make the morning commute hazardous.

Cold Arctic air over the B.C. interior is continuing to spill through the coastal valleys and inlets producing strong outflow winds and bitterly cold temperatures, Environment Canada reports this morning.

Conditions are expected to improve on Tuesday as the outflow winds ease and the Arctic air moderates.

Meanwhile, strong northeast winds up to 70 km/h over the Southern Gulf Islands will continue this morning. Winds are expected to ease this afternoon.

The weekend's snowfall on southern Vancouver Island was pretty to look at but not so pretty for unprepared motorists trying to get around Sunday.

The city of Victoria urged people to stay off the streets so crews could get routes plowed, sanded and salted.

Traffic was snarled through Goldstream Park at about 3:30 p.m. as three vehicles went off the road in different sections. West Shore RCMP closed a lane of the highway so tow trucks could pull the vehicles out of the ditches. No one was injured but emergency crews discribed the section as a sheet of ice.

Many drivers heeded warnings by police and stayed home Sunday morning after 10 centimetres of snow blanketed the south Island.

There was little traffic on the Malahat early Sunday and only one car in the ditch near the summit.

Those who ventured out onto the Trans Canada at midday moved at speeds between 60 and 70 km/h and while traffic was light downtown, the parking lot at Mayfair Mall was nearly full.

B.C. Ferries employees had trouble getting to work, causing the Spirit of Vancouver Island to run about 20 minutes late.

The Mill Bay ferry had its first sailings cancelled on Sunday morning due to snow on the loading ramp. Service later resumed.

And up north, the Queen of Prince Rupert had to bypass Bella Bella and Klemtu on its way to Prince Rupert yesterday due to high winds. Those passengers who were unable to disembark at those ports will be put on an extra sailing heading south at 10 p.m. Monday evening, said Deborah Marshall of B.C. Ferries.

The costs of accommodations and meals will be covered by B.C. Ferries, Marshall said.

Victoria International Airport remained open although several WestJet flights were turned away last night due to high winds, said airport operations manager Terry Stewart.

“It was a pretty sizable dump of snow...but Mother Nature wasn’t really cooperating with the high winds we were experiencing,” said Stewart.

Police report no serious crashes although towing companies were kept busy pulling cars from ditches or from where drivers had abandoned them.

Even a snow plow got stuck on the Trans-Canada Highway near Thetis Lake Sunday morning.

Police and fire vehicles equipped with chains are clearing emergency routes followed by main arterial routes and side streets.

Residents are reminded they are responsible for clearing sidewalks in front to their homes.

The Crystal Pool was closed this morning due to a shortage of staff, a direct result of the snow storm.

About 6,000 B.C. Hydro customers were without service at 8 p.m., but were expected to be back on line by 11 p.m. Most of those customers (about 5,000) were on the Saanich Peninsula.

Camosun College has closed for the day but will reopen Monday if the weather improves.

B.C. Transit cancelled service on some routes and took detours on others.

By Sunday evening, Environment Canada had lifted the snowfall warning, but predicted temperatures would dip to -8 C. That, combined with strong winds, is expected to produce a wind chill factor of -18 C.

The snow will likely stick around for a few days since temperatures are expected to remain below zero until Wednesday.

Laureen Davies, co-owner at Davies Contracting, said their trucks and plows saw icy conditions develop as the temperatures dropped in the evening.

“It’s basically become a sheet of ice,” Davies said. “No one should be out there walking or driving unless they have to.”

With files from Joanne Hatherly