Winter’s last blast will be over this week, says Environment Canada.
“This should be the last of the winter temperatures. We could see some flurries Saturday night, but come [next] Monday, we should be good,” said meteorologist Matt MacDonald on Monday.
Greater Victoria and much of Vancouver Island got a dose of snow over the weekend and on Monday morning, while central and north Vancouver Island had a dump of snow Saturday and Sunday, with up to 13 centimetres in Campbell River.
The capital region was hit with flurries Monday morning that cancelled flights and snarled traffic. Several accidents were reported on the Trans-Canada Highway north of Langford and roads were closed for hours.
MacDonald said flurries were expected to continue into the evening, mixed with snow. He didn’t think more than two to three centimetres would fall.
“It’s nothing compared to what we saw on the weekend,” he said,
The brief, but intense, snowfalls are the result of weather patterns shifting over the past week into a northeasterly flow. “When that happens, it brings cold unsettled conditions,” MacDonald said.
Monday’s temperatures hovered around freezing in the capital region.
Long-range forecasts show the weather will soon be too warm for snow, MacDonald said.
“It’s showing persistent seasonal temperatures. And the sun is getting stronger.”
Gardeners cringing at the icy temperatures shouldn’t be too
far behind this year, horticulturist Manon Tremblay said.
She has a landscape design business and teaches gardening at the Victoria Composting Centre and the Pacific Horticulture College.
“The weather has definitely delayed a lot of things,” she said. “February is usually for pruning trees.”
While some trees are hearty in the cold, such as apple and pear, others are prone to frost damage, such as plum and cherry.
“If you prune too early, there’s a chance of frost doing damage,” she said. “Last year at this time, we were pruning roses.”
Tremblay said there might be some plant loss due to frost, including ones not usually grown in colder climates and several varieties of lavender.
But landscapers are only about a month behind, she said. Those wanting to plant a vegetable gardens still have lots of time and can always use a greenhouse to start, she said.
spetrescu@timescolonist.com
