If you've been dreaming of a white Christmas, you might want to sleep through the big day this year.
The Metro Vancouver weather forecast includes a significant amount of precipitation over the next couple of weeks but most of it won't be of the frozen variety.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Derek Lee tells V.I.A. that the region is settling back into a typical storm pattern following a week that included a super-soaker atmospheric river and the first true snowfall of the year.
Rain is expected to start falling across the Lower Mainland on Wednesday, Dec. 13, but should only be enough to "get the ground wet," Lee explains. After that, a series of storms will bring rain to the region but none of them are expected to be comparable to the atmospheric river.
"Just run-of-the-mill rain," he says.
This rainy pattern is expected to carry through next week and likely will hold through Christmas Day, Dec. 25.
Precipitation is more difficult to gauge over a week away. However, temperatures should reach near seasonal, with daytime highs of 6 C or 7 C, leading up to the big day.
Could Arctic air bring the Lower Mainland into a deep freeze?
When asked if Arctic air could make its way into Metro Vancouver just ahead of Christmas, Lee says it is unlikely. Currently, the Yukon is expected to see temperatures around seasonal averages on Dec. 22. And since the northern city sees blasts of true Arctic air before we do, the chances of it developing and making its way down for Santa's big day are slim.
"I feel like this year the chance of a White Christmas is low," he adds, noting that in some cases it looks more like a zero per cent probability.
Arctic air is generally necessary for producing big snow events locally since it brings temperatures down low enough and keeps them down long enough for snow to accumulate on the ground.
Folks eager to see snow on Christmas may have some success at places with higher altitudes, such as the North Shore mountains.
Locals travelling around the holidays may feel relieved to hear there isn't a powerful snowstorm in this year's forecast. In 2022, hundreds of travellers were stranded at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) during inclement weather.
Travellers should still check the weather at YVR and the weather at their destination before they leave for the airport.
Metro Vancouver weather forecast
V.I.A.'s Downtown Centre Weatherhood station shows a wet week characterized by primarily wet weather and slightly above-average temperatures; daytime highs range between 7 C and 10 C with lows ranging from 4 C to 7 C. The seasonal daytime average for this time of year is 6.3 C with an overnight average of 0.9 C, based on Environment Canada's historical climate data.
Thursday looks like it will be the wettest day of the week, with upwards of 15 mm of precipitation.
