A final blast of snow set to fall on Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley starting Thursday night could make for a dicey morning commute Friday.
The overnight band of snow is expected to develop over parts of the Lower Mainland and slowly shift east through the morning hours, lingering as late as 11 a.m.
That snow, combined with the current snowmelt and slush freezing overnight, could lead to difficult and slippery conditions on the highways, according to forecasters.
Environment Canada issued new snowfall warnings for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley Thursday, saying “bands of heavy snow” will move through the region Thursday afternoon with five to 10 centimetres of snow falling.
Those warnings — which also covered Surrey, Langley, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge and Abbotsford — were later recalled.
However, forecasters say up to 10 centimetres could still fall in some localized areas by Friday morning, though it’s more difficult to predict exactly where the snow could pile up and how much.
Cities like Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam and the North Shore could generally see between two and five centimetres, forecasters say.
Temperatures have fallen to near or below freezing across the Lower Mainland after higher temperatures melted some of the snow that fell on the region overnight into Thursday morning.
The Fraser Valley, meanwhile, has simply watched the snow continue to pile up, with no break in the snowfall or arctic chill.
Some parts of the valley saw freezing rain Thursday afternoon.
By Friday evening, forecasters say snow or wet snow will develop over Metro Vancouver, changing to rain by Saturday morning.
Environment Canada says that rain is set to last across the region until at least Wednesday.
On Vancouver Island, some areas will see a mix of snow, wet snow and rain Friday evening, before the weather also turns to rain for the rest of the week.
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