Tuesday afternoon’s commute could end up being a slippery one, as snow and rain are heading toward the Lower Mainland.
A special weather statement was issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada warning of snow accumulations Monday, with a snowfall warning issued Tuesday morning.
ECCC says accumulations near five centimetres are to be expected. The warning is in place for Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey, Langley, Richmond and Delta.
“There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions,” ECCC explained.
But just how much will fall is anyone’s guess, according to CityNews Meteorologist Michael Kuss.
“It’s still winter, after all,” Kuss said. “The risk of snow is always present, but it’s been so mild over the last month or so that it doesn’t seem like winter at all.”
“Now, that possibility of winter weather, at least coastal winter weather, returns on Tuesday into Wednesday, where temperatures are going to be down and moisture is in the area.
“If the cold air pushes farther out, we’ll see the precipitation move into the area. But if that Pacific moisture pushes more, inland it’ll be all rain and no snow at all. The chance of snow is still really, really small at this point, but we are talking about a period from Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning.”
Kuss says it looks more likely to be a “rain event” for low-lying, coastal areas, with snow falling “where we like it” in the mountains.
“Remember, we’re still in February. It’s the heart of winter for the most part. We average a day and a half of snow in February and we haven’t had any yet,” Kuss explained.
ECCC says mixed precipitation will turn to heavy rain around midnight. “Total rainfall amounts will be from 20 to 40 mm,” the weather service said.
source & photo : CityNews
