Skip to content
Join our Newsletter
  1. Home
  2. Weatherhood Local

'Winter wonderland': Metro Vancouverites make snowmen, frolic in snowstorm

Some areas of the Lower Mainland received up to 24 cm of snow by noon on Sunday.
Elana Shepert
Elana Shepert

Numerous Metro Vancouverites recorded the season's first fresh dusting (or ample helping) of snowfall on Sunday, Feb. 2, sharing photos and videos on social media. 

Some areas of the Lower Mainland received up to 24 cm of snow by noon on Sunday while others didn't have any. The winter storm persisted through Monday, with several areas receiving another substantial dumping of snowfall by the late afternoon. 

Environment Canada expects snowfall to continue through Tuesday morning, with two centimetres or more expected to accumulate. The Metro Vancouver weather forecast also calls for bone-chilling temperatures that could feel as cold as -10 C.

Many locals braved the snowy conditions to check out the 51st Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Parade, featuring dragon and lion dancers and cultural music (see slides two and three).

Other people took advantage of the fresh powder to make snowmen and frolic in city parks (see slide one). 

Metro Vancouverites share photos of the fresh snowfall

A woman residing in the Campbell Valley area shared images of hail that she said felt "like styrofoam." She noted that it all seemed to fall in an hour and was accompanied by thunder.  

Environment Canada meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau told V.I.A. in a previous interview that these little balls are called ice pellets. These form when snowflakes or raindrops fall into a layer that is cold enough so they refreeze. 

Ice pellets have a diameter of five mm or less and are classified into two types: "hard grains of ice consisting of frozen rain drops or largely melted and refrozen snowflakes," according to Environment Canada's climate glossary.

Justin Long shared a video of snow pellets falling in Coquitlam on Sunday night outside of an IGA supermarket. 

A Coquitlam resident shared a video of heavy snow falling outside their home on Sunday. They said it was a "winter wonderland on the West Coast on Sunday morning."

Gabriel Shepherd shared a video of powerful winds blowing heavy snow near Highway 15 and Highway 10 between Langley and Surrey. He noted that the visibility was less than 300 metres and dropping due to the powerful gusts. 

Dennis D. Cruz shared a video of a snowy scene in downtown Vancouver, complete with one individual putting up their umbrella to keep the white flakes off (a classic Vancouverite move). 

Mathew Bond shared an image of a very snowy commute on Highway 1 in North Vancouver.

A North Vancouver resident took her weiner dog for a run in the snow. 

Joseph Saltzman shared the heavy snowfall from his window in Surrey.

V.I.A. reporter Elana Shepert also shared a recent clip of the heavy snowfall in the city of Vancouver on Monday afternoon. 

Stay up-to-date with hyperlocal forecasts across 50 neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland with V.I.A.'s Weatherhood.