B.C.’s South Coast braces for season’s first real blast of winter weather – BC

British Columbia’s South Coast is forecast to get its first real blast of winter weather this weekend.

A cold front is forecast to move across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island starting Friday evening, just as a moisture-laden system moves down the coast.

The combination is expected to deliver “waves of showers or flurries depending on the temperature,” throughout the weekend, said Global BC senior meteorologist Kristi Gordon.

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Temperatures expected to drop bringing potential for snow to B.C.’s South Coast

“We are expecting arctic air to shift in, but it will slowly happen through the weekend, so Saturday and Sunday will flip-flop between high temperatures during the day where we will just see showers, whereas at night we have the potential for flurries.”

Environment Canada has issued special weather statements for the region, warning of “heavy flurries and cold temperatures” as arctic air moves into the region.

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Gordon said the timing of snowfall will be inconsistent.

There is a chance of flurries overnight into Saturday morning at higher elevations and in the Fraser Valley, she said.

Significant snowfall, however, could hit the Lower Mainland late Sunday and into Monday, Gordon said.

Exactly how much, where, and when remains literally up in the air.

The City of Vancouver has already begun mobilizing salt and brine to treat high-priority routes.

“It means having a focus on our main roads, bus routes and major bridges within the city,” street operations director Calum Baynham said.

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TransLink is also gearing up for the winter weather, deploying new deep-tread tires on 600 buses along with new articulated buses with centre-drive axels.

However, TransLink spokesperson Dan Mountain urged people to build some extra time into their commutes and to sign up for transit alerts for their routes.

“We recognize it might not run as normal, it might not run as you are used to seeing out there during snow events,” he said.

“We are doing everything we can to keep people moving but our system is, of course, impacted and the more severe the snow, the more it could change.”

The provincial government has also issued an advisory urging drivers to prepare for snow and not to get behind the wheel unless their vehicle is winter-ready.

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