PHOTOS: Season’s first blanket of snow dusts Metro Vancouver

Digital Writers
·13 min read

A cozy winter scene descended on British Columbia’s South Coast during the day Saturday as freezing levels fell and pushed snow into the Metro Vancouver area.

Folks across higher elevations in the northern metro area watched as a serene blanket of wet snow clung to just about every exposed surface to briefly transform the landscape into a festive sight.

Going somewhere? Check out the current highway conditions before heading out!

Simon Fraser University’s campus in Burnaby, as well as North Vancouver and West Vancouver, all saw several centimetres of fresh snow grace the ground as cold outflow winds funneled chilly inland air toward the coast. Snow fell at lower elevations on Vancouver Island, as well.

Freezing levels dipped as low as 200 m on Saturday afternoon, aided in part by the precipitation itself. Snow melting to rain can lower air temperatures during bouts of heavy precipitation, which can bump temperatures just low enough at times to support snow making it all the way to the surface.

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Saturday’s snowfall provides a glimmer of hope for winter-lovers across the Lower Mainland who’ve watched a mild season unfold. The Weather Network’s official winter outlook calls for a mild winter across much of B.C., though that certainly doesn’t mean this will be our last threat for wintry weather in the weeks and months ahead.

Check out some of the wintry scenes across the B.C. South Coast on Saturday, below.

Header image courtesy of Brad Atchison in New Westminster, B.C.

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