Up to 30 cm of snow in the forecast for parts of Lower Mainland this week

Some parts of the Lower Mainland could see between 15 and 30 centimetres of snow during a storm that’s hitting the region Tuesday evening into Wednesday.

Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau tells Daily Hive snowfall amounts aren’t certain since the temperature will be near the freezing mark and could turn some of the precipitation to rain.

But the current forecast suggests more than 15 centimetres of white stuff could fall on the Fraser Valley, with high-elevation areas around Metro Vancouver also in store for snow.

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“The situation we have for this week is the classic setup that brings us messy winter weather,” Charbonneau said. “We have this very cold air that’s settled over the region, and we’re going to start seeing some systems moving in off the Pacific bringing moisture and eventually warmer air.”

The west and southwest parts of Metro Vancouver closer to the water (Richmond, Delta, and parts of Vancouver) may warm up enough so that the snow turns to rain Tuesday night into Wednesday. But out in the Fraser Valley, there will be cold outflow winds, which could keep things cold enough to see a massive snow dump.

“We’re looking at temperatures that are going to be very close to zero… so there’s a high level of uncertainty there between rain, freezing rain, and snow,” Charbonneau said. “Our best forecast right now does look like Tuesday night we’ll see the first system come and spread snow across Metro Vancouver.”

The one piece of luck is that precipitation will likely start after the Tuesday afternoon commute wraps up — but getting to work or school on Wednesday morning could be tricky.

Charbonneau advised drivers who don’t have winter tires to stay off the roads.

After that, another system is hitting the region Thursday night into Friday. It’s still too early to tell whether the majority of Thursday’s precipitation will fall as rain or snow.

“This is a week when we’re transitioning out of the air and starting to see storm systems come in from the ocean, and we have the potential for some messy winter conditions across Metro Vancouver.”