Will it be a white Christmas for B.C.?
In some parts, yes. But for residents who don’t normally see snow on the ground this time of year, don’t expect this year to be much different.
Global BC senior meteorologist Mark Madryga said over the past 75 years of data at the Vancouver International Airport, roughly only 10 per cent of Christmas mornings have recorded at least one centimetre of snow on the ground.
Over the past 20 years, based on data collected at the Vancouver Airport, there has only been three white Christmases in Vancouver.
All three of these December 25ths (2008, 1998 and 1996) had substantial snow on the ground, with the last one in 2008 actually setting a record snow depth of 41 centimetres.
According to data from Environment Canada, since 1955, Prince George has seen a white Christmas almost every year. Vancouver and Victoria can’t say the same. This data was defined by at least two centimetres of snow on the ground by 7 a.m. on Christmas morning.
For areas near sea level on the South Coast, including most of Metro Vancouver, Madryga says the probability is very low for a white Christmas this year.
Specifically, Christmas Day will be cool, dry and bright at times.
Leading up to Christmas Day, residents of Metro Vancouver can expect rain showers spreading in on Wednesday night and Thursday morning for the lower elevations.
However, Madryga says at that time there is still an outside chance for at least some snow to be in the mix at higher elevations and at places farther away from the ocean, such as the Fraser Valley and Howe Sound.
There will likely be some flurries between Hope and the Coquihalla summit on Wednesday and mild accumulations on Christmas Eve.
It is a bit of a waiting game over the next 72 hours to pinpoint exactly where a little snow may fall, but it’s likely that regions that don’t already have snow on the ground probably won’t see a white Christmas.
It did snow a little in Metro Vancouver last week and people took to Twitter to express their excitement.
Stay tuned!
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