A winter storm on Sunday and Monday left Summerland covered in a heavy blanket of snow.
According to weather warnings from Environment Canada, snowfall accumulation of up to 45 centimetres was expected.
The snow left Summerlanders digging their way out of their driveways and shovelling sidewalks.
While weather data recorded for Summerland does not include precipitation, Greg Pearce of Environment Canada said Penticton received 16 centimetres of snow on Sunday and another 11 centimetres on Monday, for a total of 27 centimetres in a two-day period.
The greatest snowfall in a 24-hour period was Jan. 24, 2004, when 24 centimetres was recorded.
Don Darling, director of engineering and public works for the municipality, said workers were out on Sunday until 8 p.m. clearing snow from municipal streets.
On Monday, they began at 5 a.m., ploughing the streets and removing excess snow.
“It’s huge,” Darling said of the snowfall. “It’s been a while since we’ve had this much snow.”
The municipality clears bus routes, steep roads and possible danger areas first, before clearing flat and less busy roads, he said.
In the downtown area crews also had to remove the snow from the area. Excess snow is taken to sites elsewhere in the community, including one on Peach Orchard Road.
During the day, three of the four municipal sanding trucks had problems with the electronics for the sanding equipment.
The repair time was four hours out of 48 hours of total operating time, Darling said.
Schools were open on Monday, but the school district did not provide bus service in Summerland.
The transit service was also affected. By noon, Summerland’s Handi-Dart service had cancelled its afternoon runs and by 2 p.m., the regularly scheduled runs between Summerland and Penticton were also cancelled. The cancellation continued on Tuesday.
On the highways, motorists had to contend with difficult conditions and throughout the Okanagan Valley, warnings were issued for compact snow with slippery sections, heavy snowfall and limited visibility along the highways.
