Heavy snow, freezing rain to follow arctic chill throughout B.C.

The long stretch of bitterly cold days is coming to an end but winter isn’t retreating throughout much of B.C.

“An arctic front will begin to sweep across the province from north to south, bringing periods of snow,” an Environment Canada warning reads.

“At the same time, a Pacific low-pressure system will approach the coast from the west. As the moisture from the Pacific system interacts with the cold front from the north, periods of heavy snow are expected, and snowfall warnings may be issued for some regions.”

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Southern, Eastern and Central portions of Vancouver Island are expecting mixed precipitation beginning Tuesday evening and Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley beginning late Tuesday evening.

Temperatures will be hovering close to zero so all South Coast residents should be prepared for a wide range of precipitation types. Anything from rain to snow to freezing rain could fall between Tuesday evening and early afternoon on Wednesday.

Snowfall amounts will also be highly variable; anything from zero to 15 centimetres is possible.

Drivers should avoid travel during this time. Conditions on the roads should improve in the afternoon on Wednesday.

Global BC Meteorologists are urging everyone to tune-in on Tuesday for further updates on this forecast.

Snow is expected for Skagit Valley,  Fraser Canyon, Nicola, South Thompson, Similkameen, Okanagan Valley, Shuswap, Boundary and North Thompson.

The wintry weather alert extends to B.C.’s interior highways as well. Environment Canada said the same weather system will bring heavy snow to Highway 3, from Paulson Summit to Kootenay Pass; Highway 97 from Clinton to 100 Mile House via Begbie Summit; the Coquihalla Highway, from Hope to Merritt, and then Merritt to Kamloops.

With temperatures well below freezing due to a cold snap across Western Canada, BC Hydro said it set a new record for electricity demand.

According to the utility company, residents consumed 11,300 megawatts of electricity in just one hour on Friday night — 30 per cent higher than the previous Friday night before the cold snap began.

Despite the record-breaking power usage, B.C. did not require imports from other markets, and helped Alberta and the Pacific Northwest meet its demands.

This includes about 200 megawatts exported to Alberta.