Snowfall warning issued for Metro Vancouver, 5 cm expected

Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for parts of B.C.'s Lower Mainland, with a wintry mix heralding a sloppy evening commute for Metro Vancouver.

The warning also covers the Fraser Valley and the Sea to Sky Highway, with up to 25 centimetres expected in Whistler. The weather agency says areas including North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge could receive about five centimetres of snow, starting in the late afternoon.

“The cold air mass in place is over a very wide area. So, these weather conditions are expected, or at least have the potential, to impact essentially all of our communities through Metro Vancouver,” said Lisa Erven, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Around 30 Main Road trucks and roughly 100 staff members have been deployed in anticipation of the snowfall event.

“Everyone gets deployed equally across the board in advance of the storm, but then as the storm plays out were move resources around as required,” said Darren Ell, General Manager of Main Road Lower Mainland Contracting.

 Environment Canada is also warning motorists on the Sea to Sky Highway between Squamish and Whistler to watch out for reduced visibility and possibly hazardous driving conditions stemming from heavy snow.

The warning calls for as much as 20 centimetres of accumulation in the Howe Sound region including Squamish and 10 centimetres in the Fraser Valley area near Hope.

A winter storm watch is also in place for both the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt and Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton, with forecasts calling for gusty winds and heavy snow lasting into Thursday.

Similar winter storm watches are also in place for Highway 3 from Grand Forks to Creston and Highway 1 from Sicamous to Golden.

With files frm CTV News Vancouvcer's Kevin Charach

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2024.