Widespread snowfall spreading over southern B.C. to start the week
Widespread low-elevation snow will continue across southern B.C. through midday Monday.
Snow arrived in southern British Columbia late Sunday night as a new low-pressure system pushed into the region. Most areas on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland will see accumulating snowfall through midday Monday, with disruptive totals in some spots. Beyond this snow, we’re looking ahead to another storm arriving by midweek. More on the timing and totals, below.
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MONDAY: SNOW SPREADING OVER SOUTHERN B.C.
Widespread snow will continue across southern B.C. through the first half of Monday. Vancouver International Airport began reporting light snow around midnight local time, with heavy snow showing up on the radar across inland portions of Vancouver Island.
The highest snowfall totals are likely on Vancouver Island, where many areas will see 5-15 cm of snow by the end of the storm, with up to 20 cm possible at higher elevations across northern Vancouver Island. Lower totals are expected south of the Malahat, where Greater Victoria will only see less than 2 cm.
Across the strait, most areas can expect about 5 cm of snow or less by the time precipitation changes over to rain later on Monday. Higher elevations will likely receive 5-10 cm from the system.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a snowfall warning for all of Vancouver Island in anticipation of the snowfall.
“Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions. Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas,” ECCC said in its warning.
The snow will come to an end later Monday morning across Vancouver Island, and precipitation will gradually change over to a rain/snow mix by the afternoon hours in the Lower Mainland as freezing levels slowly rise through the day.
BEYOND: B.C’S NEXT SYSTEM ARRIVES BY MIDWEEK
After the snowy start to the week, the next system arrives in southern B.C. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Milder air will make this more of a rain event for Metro Vancouver, while higher elevations will have to deal with another round of snow from this system.
Temperatures will remain below-seasonal throughout the week.
Thumbnail by Julien Kettmann via Unsplash
Check back as we monitor the latest on the snow across British Columbia.
