Wintry blast to continue after season's first big snowfall blankets Metro Vancouver

A man walks down the street during a snow storm in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

VANCOUVER — The first snowy blast of winter in Metro Vancouver is expected to continue with up to 25 centimetres of snow predicted in some areas before it’s done today.

Environment Canada says to expect bands of snowfall and “localized heavy flurries” across the South Coast of British Columbia this morning after Sunday’s dump that blanketed much of the Lower Mainland in white.

The agency says in a Metro Vancouver snowfall warning that up to 10 centimetres of fresh accumulation was expected overnight Sunday, and while the biggest amounts will be at high elevations, other areas could still see “intense flurries.”

It says the snow is expected to taper off this morning but agency meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau says a plunging mercury could mean icy conditions on roads today.

Sunday’s first widespread snowfall of the season in Metro Vancouver created hazardous road conditions, with travel monitor Drive BC saying multiple vehicles spun out on Highway 1 in North Vancouver.

Temperatures are expected to be five to eight degrees Celsius below seasonal in Metro Vancouver this week.

Snowfall warnings were also in place late Sunday for Howe Sound, the Fraser Valley, Sunshine Coast and west Vancouver Island.

Victoria and east Vancouver Island were under a winter storm watch with the potential for snowsqualls bringing up to 20 centimetres into Tuesday.

Extreme cold warnings were meanwhile in place for Yoho and Kootenay parks in the southern interior, and the Peace River and Dease Lake regions in the north of the province, where wind chills could hit minus 45.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2025.

The Canadian Press