ENVIRONMENT Canada has issued a warning of significant snowfall accumulations expected on Tuesday through Wednesday morning for Metro Vancouver and Abbotsford; and late Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday for Fraser Valley east of Abbotsford.
Hazards: Heavy snow late Tuesday afternoon/evening. Snow transitioning to rain early Wednesday morning resulting in difficult driving conditions. Strong southwest wind gusts 40 to 70 km/h may cause snow-covered tree branches to break Wednesday morning.
Photo by SUKHWANT DHILLON / AM 600 Sher-E-Punjab Radio
A strong low pressure system is approaching Vancouver Island and this will bring significant snowfall from late afternoon to early Wednesday morning. Snow will transition to rain or taper off to a few showers or flurries early Wednesday morning for Metro Vancouver and Abbotsford. For Fraser Valley east of Abbotsford, snow will taper off Wednesday evening.
Snowfall accumulations will vary across the Lower Mainland. The heaviest snowfall is expected in North Vancouver, Coquitlam, and Maple Ridge, with 10 to 20 cm expected, except 25 cm over higher terrain.
For the city of Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Delta, Surrey, Langley, and Abbotsford, 10 to 15 cm of snow is expected.
For Chilliwack and Hope, 20 to 25 cm of snow is expected from this evening to Wednesday evening.
On Wednesday morning, strong southwest winds will mix down wind gusts in the 40 to 70 km/h range. This may cause snow-covered tree branches to break and possible power outages.
Rapidly accumulating snow will make travel difficult. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow.
Continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to BCstorm@ec.gc.ca or tweet reports using #BCStorm.
