While the Vancouver weather forecast is calling for a chance of snow later this week, not everyone is convinced it will happen.
The forecast has called for a chance of snowfall numerous times over the fall and early winter, but there hasn't been any accumulations of snow in the city. While there has been some minor accumulations on higher terrain, areas at sea level have only seen wet snow.
Starting Monday, Jan. 6, the forecast calls for a great deal of rainfall throughout the day, and Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for Coastal British Columbia, noting that some areas could receive up to 90 mm of rain by Tuesday. However, the rainfall is expected to dissipate by Wednesday evening, and Friday's forecast includes a chance of snow at night.
Vancouver Is Awesome spoke to Matt MacDonald, a meteorologist at Environment Canada, about the likelihood that Vancouver will see snowfall this week.
"So far, this is the best chance we've seen for snowfall at sea level," MacDonald said. "We have all of the necessary ingredients for snow this week."
MacDonald adds that a north westerly flow is expected to bring cold air into the region towards the end of the week, with temperatures dipping below freezing Wednesday night. He notes that the weekend will be markedly cooler, which will increase the chance that snowfall will accumulate.
"We haven't hit true arctic air yet this year — most of the flow patterns have been south westerly, which hasn't allowed for these very cold temperatures."
MacDonald says the snowfall is still a few days away in the forecast, however, and therefore things could still change in the days leading up. With this in mind, he says it’s a good idea to be prepared for snowy conditions and to continue to monitor the forecast.
B.C. Winter Forecast
Back in September, the Weather Network predicted that British Columbia would have a milder winter, but that December was a “wild card.”
Since then, the winter forecast has been updated to include the most recent prediction, which calls for milder temperatures along the B.C. coast and across much of Northern B.C. While northeastern B.C. to the southern interior will see near normal temperatures.
While the north coast region is “expected to see above average rainfall and alpine snow,” the south coast region is expected to be drier than normal. With this in mind, the forecast adds that this dry pattern may break at times during the season. During these breaks, the Lower Mainland could have the “potential to see several weeks’ worth of precipitation in just five to 10 days.”
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