Crews continue to clear the roads and sidewalks as Vancouver Island residents deal with a big blast of winter, into its second day.

All schools in district’s 71 and 72 - serving Campbell River and Comox Valley Schools - are closed today, while the storm tapers off.

The districts say unsafe driving conditions get the blame - particularly on the side roads and sidewalks.

Evening events or facility rentals for school buildings are also cancelled today.

All NIC campuses and centres are closed this morning. This affects all college classes and campus services. The college says it will continue monitoring the situation and plans to reopen by 1 pm. The next update will be posted to their website at 11 am.

As many as 30-thousand island customers were without power late last night, with BC Hydro Crews working around the clock to restore heat and lights, but there are still scattered outages to contend with.