Vancouver's multi-week dry stretch finally comes to an end
Vancouver’s multi-week dry stretch comes to an end late this week with rain, below seasonal temperatures, and alpine snow all finally returning
Mild and dry. That best describes the month of January across British Columbia's South Coast so far. In fact, it's been a relatively quiet season overall, with Vancouver and Victoria picking up a whopping 0 cm of snow this winter.
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The exceptionally dry pattern will finally come to an end (temporarily) late this week, with rain for coastal areas, and alpine snow starting Thursday, and lasting into the weekend. Snow levels will get quite low, and could even approach sea level during the weekend.
At this point, a drier pattern is expected to return later next week once again, with the storm track expected to shift south of the border. It is possible however, that systems will continue to impact the South Coast region, and even bring wintry threats as the season marches on.
Thursday through the weekend: Dry spell ends as we finish off January
Vancouver has not seen a trace of precipitation since the middle of the month -- 12 days and counting as of January 28. This is particularly unusual because January is typically one of the rainiest months for the region, climatologically speaking.
An incoming system on Thursday however, will bring rainfall and the return of alpine snow just below 1000 m by the afternoon hours.
Between 30-50 mm of rain is forecast across the Lower Mainland, with closer to 20 mm likely in Victoria.
Across the North Shore Mountains, between 30-50 cm of snow could fall into the weekend.
Cold, Arctic air will descend across western Canada, bringing below seasonal temperatures for late week, and beyond.
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Coldest air of the season descends
By the weekend, below freezing temperatures could make their way into Vancouver and across the Lower Mainland. This will be the coldest air for most of the province to date, including Vancouver, Victoria and much of the South Coast.
Vancouver’s coldest daytime high so far this winter was 4.5°C recorded in early January.
Freezing levels will fall drastically, sitting near or at the surface by the weekend.
The arrival of this colder pattern could make conditions favourable for snow to fall at lower elevations across the South Coast as we head into the month of February.
Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on your forecast across British Columbia.