Winter is coming — but you might feel like it has already arrived in the Metro Vancouver region.
Following a powerful windstorm that felled upwards of 400 trees on Friday (Nov. 4) night, snow blanketed places at higher elevations on Sunday. What's more, the Metro Vancouver weather forecast includes a couple more chances for the white stuff on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Once the skies clear, however, the region is expected to see unseasonably cold weather for several days.
Environment Canada meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau told Vancouver Is Awesome that temperatures will drop several degrees below seasonal averages as an arctic outflow brings cold air into the Lower Mainland.
After a couple of chances for flurries at the start of the week, the region is expected to get "cold and dry" with temperatures as low as -2 C overnight. While daytime highs will climb up around 5 C, seasonal averages for this time of year are closer to highs of 10 C with overnight lows around 4 C.
Later this week, there is a 30 per cent chance of snow flurries or rain showers on Friday night but the precipitation isn't expected to last long.
"Honestly, it looks right at this moment like we wouldn't see much of anything from that. So, the snow threat is mostly past us," she said, adding that snow isn't unheard of in November and that Vancouver International Airport (YVR) sees an average of roughly 3.2 cm of snowfall in the month.
Instead of wet weather, the colder, drier pattern is expected to persist through the weekend and into next week, with temperatures warming slightly heading into the weekend.
Looking ahead at the Metro Vancouver weather forecast
After next week, Environment Canada calls for temperatures across the region to rise closer to seasonal averages, Charbonneau noted.
In a recent update, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) called for a 75 per cent chance that La Niña will be present this winter and won't change to a "neutral" weather pattern until about February.
Typically, La Niña's impact on southern B.C. doesn't start to show until the late fall or early winter. But it does tend to produce cooler than normal conditions and snowier conditions over the mountains.
Environment Canada will release its official winter forecast on Dec. 1.
