October to February are the wettest months. Predominant winds are from the west and southwest, but occasional northerners during the winter bring snow in.  Terrace was once the cedar pole capital of the world. Over 50,000 poles were manufactured annually to supply many parts of North America with telephone and electric power poles. The world's tallest pole, long, was cut in Terrace and stands in New York City. For many years, logging was the region's major industry, but Terrace's economy has recently been forced to diversify since nearly all wood mills not operated by First Nations groups have closed down. Terrace's largest employers are in the public sector, but there are still some large private employers. Many people in Terrace commute to Kitimat to work at Alcan. The city has continually tried to reinvent itself as a service hub for northwestern British Columbia. In 2001, the community was significantly affected by problems with and the eventual closure of the largest local employer, the former Skeena Cellulose Inc. sawmill. The mill was bought by Terrace Lumber Co., a group of local owners, and reopened in late August 2005, but did not prosper and closed in mid-2006. By the end of 2006, the remaining equipment was auctioned off and the mill was torn down. The mill's former site is now a vacant lot with its footings covered in graffiti. Current economic prospects are linked to tourism, mineral developments to the north and northwest, construction of a power line towards Iskut and energy-related developments in Kitimat. The latter include the LNG Canada liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant and terminal project planned in Kitimat, which has been formally confirmed early October 2018 by its shareholders, led by Royal Dutch Shell, with completion planned for 2024–2025, as well as from the related Coastal GasLink Pipeline project of TransCanada Corporation. To the west of Terrace, the Prince Rupert ocean container port expansion has resulted in increased rail traffic by CN Rail in recent years. In 2004, a Wal-Mart centre was built in Terrace (store 5834). The Skeena mall underwent a large-scale renovation that was completed in 2013. The ski resort Northern Escape Heli-skiing is based in Terrace. Terrace is in School District 82 Coast Mountains, along with Kitimat, Stewart, and Hazelton. There is one senior secondary school in Terrace, Caledonia Senior Secondary School, which serves grades 10, 11 and 12.