Snow blows sideways in Metro Vancouver as first true dose of winter arrives

After many warnings from multiple levels of government, Metro Vancouver’s first true dose of winter weather this season has arrived.

Flakes are flying in many parts of the region, and in Burnaby, blowing snow is falling sideways.

Temperatures have plummeted to well below freezing, with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) reporting a reading of -4°C in Vancouver as of 2:30 pm.

Metro Vancouver is under an arctic outflow warning from ECCC, with the mercury expected to fall further to -10°C Thursday night.

“Arctic air is forecast to reach the south coast of BC today, and it’s going to result in a period of very cold weather with temperatures well below seasonal normals,” ECCC meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau told Daily Hive.

Vancouver isn’t close to breaking cold weather records, though. According to ECCC, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Vancouver was -17.8ºC at the Vancouver International Airport in 1968.

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Not too much snow accumulation is expected in the city today, but a larger dump of snow is on the way Monday. The Squamish Nation has issued a winter storm warning over 15 to 30 centimetres of snow expected in North Vancouver and along the Sea to Sky corridor in the coming days.

High winds sent waves crashing into shorelines in Metro Vancouver Thursday morning, before the region got a brief dose of sun. It’s clouded over again now, as clouds unleash flurries over the city.

Charbonneau’s advice?

“Make sure you’re wearing appropriate clothing if you’re outdoors, covering up any exposed skin as much as possible. Staying dry and trying to find places indoors to warm up,” she said. “It’s a good idea to check in on our neighbours [and] those in our community who are more impacted.”

With files from Daily Hive’s Beth Rochester