Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island on Monday evening got their first taste of winter, as a quick dump of slushy snow knocked out power and closed roads in some areas.

On the island, the hardest hit areas were Nanaimo, Courtenay, Campbell River and Port Alberni, where about 7,000 people lost power overnight as trees came down on the wires.

A family enjoys a walk on Burnaby Mountain as the first snow of the year hit many areas of the South Coast on Monday night.
(CBC)

Some schools on the Gulf Islands also suspended bus service on Tuesday morning.

On the Lower Mainland, a few centimetres of slushy snow fell in isolated patches, hitting South Surrey, White Rock, Horseshoe Bay, Howe Sound, the Fraser Valley and Burnaby Mountain. Police were turning back vehicles on the Sea-to-Sky Highway between Vancouver and Whistler that did not have winter tires or chains.

The frigid conditions also prompted officials to open extra shelter spaces overnight for those living on the streets. It was the first time this season the extreme weather strategy was implemented.

Any remaining snow was not expected to stick around Tuesday, with warmer sunny weather forecast for the region.

Recent snowfalls at higher elevations were good news for skiers and snowboarders in the southern areas of the province. 

Some runs on Whistler Mountain opened Nov. 17, and those at Blackcomb Mountain opened on Thursday.

In the Interior, Silver Star and Sun Peaks resorts were already open and the operators of Cypress Mountain on the North Shore of Metro Vancouver said they plan to open by the coming weekend.