Metro Vancouverites planning on travelling across the province over the winter holidays should brace for stormy weather.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Armel Castellan tells V.I.A. that a windstorm with the potential to wreak havoc could begin impacting the region on Monday, Dec. 23 night or very early next Tuesday morning.
"This could cause BC Ferries cancellations ahead of Christmas," Castellan says, adding that it could also cause issues on major arteries connecting the Lower Mainland to the interior and northern B.C.
Castellan notes that the system could be a "very strong windstorm" similar to the bomb cyclone and other wind events which caused extensive power outages this fall.
While it is "a little early to get too specific," powerful winds or stormy weather could make travel difficult or impossible for people travelling in and out of the region.
Metro Vancouver weather forecast includes dropping temperatures
Temperatures are currently trending above average leading up to Christmas, with freezing levels over 2,500 metres and dropping closer to 1,100 metres on the big day.
"[Temperatures are] slowly coming down but the chances of snow on Christmas are closer to zero," he adds.
While this Tuesday's storm didn't produce catastrophic flooding locally, it caused extensive motor vehicle incidents on the Coquihalla.
"What you leave the city with is not what you'll encounter in the mountain passes," he cautions. "You can find all kinds of troubling weather there. If you have travel plans between now and New Year's Day days, build in [a contingency plan].
Castellan also advises locals to continue monitoring the forecast for conditions in their area, the route they plan to travel on, and their final destination.
Drive BC provides updates on current road conditions across the province,
Stay up-to-date with hyperlocal forecasts across 50 neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland with V.I.A.'s Weatherhood.
