Snowfall warning issued for Metro Vancouver: up to 15 cm expected

Winter conditions are indeed making a return to Metro Vancouver, the federal government’s weather agency has declared.

Environment Canada’s special weather statement issued yesterday was upgraded to a snowfall warning at 7:30 pm this evening.

For the Vancouver region, it warns of between 10 and 15 cm in accumulation beginning tonight and into Wednesday morning.

A moist Pacific front moving across the South Coast will interact with the cold arctic air, with low-lying areas such as Richmond, Delta, and certain parts of Vancouver near the water including downtown Vancouver experiencing a mixture of rain and snow.

Over higher elevations in Burnaby, Surrey, the Tri-Cities, the North Shore, parts of Vancouver, and further inland, greater accumulations are expected.

The snow should end tomorrow morning when the front moves to the south, but it could still make for a very messy and slow commute tomorrow. Commuters and students should plan for extra travel time.

Temperatures will reach freezing overnight before warming up to around 2°C by the start of Wednesday’s morning rush hour. The daytime high for Wednesday is 6°C.