Now THIS is winter!

By David F. Rooney

Remember last year’s anemic winter? Well, that’s certainly not what we’re getting this year. Heavy snow stranded scores of big trucks along Victoria Road and in the layover on the west side of the Columbia River Bridge for hours on Thursday and forced homeowners across the city to spend hours shovelling or snowblowing their drives clear of the white stuff.

All told, About 50 centimetres of snow is expected so no one need put their snowblower or shovel away.

Here are a few photos of what it was like around town Thursday afternoon:

Remember last year's anemic winter? Well, that's certainly not what we're getting this year. Heavy snow stranded scores of big trucks along Victoria Road and in the layover on the west side of the Columbia River Bridge for hours on Thursday. The line of trucks stretched from Jacobson Ford all the way past the Mackenzie crossing. David F. Rooney photo
Once the highway closure was lifted at about 1 pm, trucks began leaving the layover. David F. Rooney photo
These hopeful hitchhikers were set on getting to Kelowna. David F. Rooney photo
Mackenzie Avenue was kept pretty clear but many other streets and avenues were a mess. David F. Rooney photo
The heavy snow did not deter work from continuing apace at the new high school. David F. Rooney photo
The brand-new ambulance station fairly glowed beneath its blanket of snow. David F. Rooney photo
This is what many people spent part of the day doing: clearing their driveways and, in some cases, their roofs. David F. Rooney photo
If you didn't have a snowblower before, this major dump of snow might impel you to go buy one. David F. Rooney photo
The bears at the entrance to Grizzly Plaza were well-blanketed. David F. Rooney photo
The fresh, clean snow gave downtown businesses a picturesque appearance. David F. Rooney photo
The decorative snowflakes in the window of Filigree Antiques seemed particularly appropriate beneath the shop's snow-sheathed roof. David F. Rooney photo

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