More than 35,000 B.C. Hydro customers on the Island were without power as of Monday evening.
Weather and road conditions were making it tough for crews to get out, B.C. Hydro said. “All available resources will continue to work throughout the day and into the night to make repairs and restore power.”
The utility said Duncan, the Gulf Islands, Greater Victoria and Nanaimo were among the hardest hit areas.
In Central Saanich, police said there were several crashes due to slippery roads, and RCMP closed some roads in Nanaimo.
Nanaimo RCMP urged people not to go out unless their vehicles were snow-ready.