Winter is going to make its presence known across B.C. in the coming days.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland starting Thursday afternoon and into next week.
“Freezing levels will drop to roughly 300 metres Thursday night so higher elevations of the South Coast could see two to five centimetres of snow on the ground early Friday morning. However, this snow will quickly change to rain Friday morning as temperatures warm up,” Global BC Meteorologist Kristi Gordon explains.
Most lower elevations regions will see just rain overnight. A rainfall warning is in effect for northern sections of Metro Vancouver and the western Fraser Valley, with close to 50 millimetres of rain forecast through Friday.
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Meanwhile, a snowfall warning is in effect for the Sea to Sky region (Squamish to Whistler) with up to 20 cm of snow expected through Friday night.
Strong winds are expected Friday as this low-pressure system moves across the South Coast. A wind warning is in effect for the Greater Victoria area near Juan de Fuca Strait with west winds gusting to 90 km/h expected.
“The rain will ease Friday afternoon bringing some breaks of blue sky to the South Coast and the precipitation will remain light on Saturday with just a 40 per cent chance of showers or flurries,” Gordon added.
However, Friday night and through the weekend, temperatures will fall as cold Arctic air begins to invade the region and mix with the Pacific moisture, according to Environment Canada.
While amounts of snow remain uncertain, accumulating snow is likely in many areas on the weekend.
Kristi said there is a higher chance of snowfall accumulations in the Lower Mainland on Sunday, in the morning and again at night into Monday morning.
By early next week, Environment Canada says that very cold and dry air is expected over the South Coast with outflow conditions from an Arctic ridge of high pressure settling over the region.
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