Was that the last of the snow for Vancouver this winter?

sun ok/Shutterstock

The weather forecast for Metro Vancouver has been a roller coaster already this week, especially for commuters, and it’s not looking like it’s letting up anytime soon.

A snowfall warning for Surrey, Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Burnaby, and more has since ended after a predicted 5 cm was set to fall in some parts, but it’s far from dry out there today.

A look at SFU Mountain on Wednesday, February 28. (sfu.ca)

While rain is one thing, many of us are wondering if we will see snow again this winter in Vancouver.

#Vancouver #snow #dog 🐶⛄️ pic.twitter.com/akfofQOYlc

— Hutchyman (@Hutchyman) February 27, 2024

That’s the question we posed to Derek Lee with Environment and Climate Change Canada, and he said it’s not a hard no.

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“That is hard to say because, at least even for this week, we do have temperatures close to [freezing],” he said.

“The timing is crucial because if anything comes during a time period where things are cooler, you can definitely see the chance of snow or wet snow occurring. But look at that, because the daytime temperatures are much warmer, and this isn’t true arctic air, it’s probably going to bounce back quickly during the day,” the meteorologist told Daily Hive.

A look at the forecast shows we could see some wet snow as early as Thursday night for Vancouver, and flurries are also in the forecast for Friday.

There’s also a chance of a thunderstorm for tomorrow and no sign of the sun for at least the next six days.

ECCC

While it’s technically still winter, many folks had already set their sights on spring following an unusually dry and warm last few months, minus that bout of bone-chilling double digits we had in January.

It’s been such a rough winter that many experts are worried about its impacts on the environment, including the much-anticipated cherry blossom season.

Megan Devlin/Daily Hive

According to Elizabeth Wolkovich, a professor in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at UBC, Vancouver’s beloved cherry blossoms could take a hit from the warm weather as they need the cold winter conditions to trigger growth.

“They need a certain amount of winter cold,” said Wolkovich. “After they receive enough winter cold, they’ll respond to spring warmth, and they’ll flower normally.”

Valmedia/Shutterstock

It’s not just cherry blossoms that are affected; many farmers are concerned about this summer’s fruit crops, not to mention the potential long-term effects they are having on wine.

“There’s a real agricultural impact that people are worried about,” she said. “[They’re] very concerned about what happens if we have warm enough winters where the plants don’t get enough chilling. It could be that they don’t get the full crop,” she told Daily Hive in an earlier interview.

With files from Amir Ali and Beth Rochester