Metro Vancouverites should brace for treacherous road conditions ahead of a winter storm that is expected to pummel the region with upwards of half a foot of snow.
Environment Canada meteorologist Derek Lee said the snow is expected to start falling late overnight on Tuesday, Jan. 16, with amounts of 10 to 20 cm expected to accumulate through Wednesday.
"For the first few hours, it will evaporate before it hits the ground. We probably won't see it accumulate until about midnight," he told V.I.A., noting that the frigid Arctic air mass creates "drier" conditions.
The snow is expected to continue falling through the morning and into the afternoon, tapering off sometime in the early evening.
As far as Metro Vancouver snowstorms are concerned, this one is on the "heavier side," Lee remarked, adding that the incoming storm is also a colder system.
Environment Canada issued an official snowfall warning Tuesday morning ahead of the wintry weather.
Is there another Arctic front in the Metro Vancouver weather forecast?
There is also a second opportunity for snowfall on Thursday evening followed by a "gradual warming" heading into the weekend. Starting on Friday, warmer rain could begin to melt the snowfall.
Saturday and Sunday should see temperatures reach highs of nearly 6 C or 7 C with overnight lows falling to 4 C or 5 C; the seasonal average is around zero but cloud coverage and rain tend to keep conditions warmer, Lee explained.
The warmer trend is expected to continue heading out of the weekend, too. Environment Canada expects the region should see a return to near to above-seasonal temperatures.
Thanks in part to the influence of El Niño, Metro Vancouver had one of its warmest Decembers on record last month.
