Snow possible for the South Coast this week
Posted December 18, 2017 6:11 am.
Last Updated December 18, 2017 5:05 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The weekend rain storm may be over, but now snow is making its way to the South Coast.
Snow is likely, especially over the higher elevations, late Tuesday, according to an Environment Canada special weather statement. Another round is possible on Thursday and Arctic air will put the region into the freezer, with temperatures between -5 C and -10 C for the rest of the week.
NEWS 1130 Meteorologist Russ Lacate is keeping a close watch on the situation. Higher elevation passes like the Malahat and the Hump are expecting five to 10 cm of snow, with up to 40 cm possible over the mountain passes.
East Vancouver Island and Victoria will likely be the snowiest regions across the South Coast on Tuesday. The Lower Mainland is expecting up to five cm while Howe Sound and Whistler will get closer to 10 cm Tuesday.
Much of the snow will likely melt Wednesday before another round of flurries and colder weather later in the week.
Metro Vancouver communities have crews on standby to clear routes as the snow begins to fall, but forecast rain for late Monday is hampering efforts to put brine on the roads ahead of the snowfall.
“It will simply get washed away with the rain that we’re expecting so we need to wait until the rain is coming to an end until we can get out and apply that product,” Coquitlam acting public works director Brad Lafgren said, adding crews will get out as soon as possible, even if that means brining during any rush hour times.
In the event crews can’t brine all streets, hard salt can still be put down on top of snow. Salt stocks remain high in December due to lack of use in the early fall months.
Burnaby, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge all have ploughs and sanders at the ready, but are asking home and business owners to do their part to clear sidewalks.
“Get out there right away. Shovel your sidewalks. Kids need to be able to walk safely to school for the rest of this week,” Maple Ridge spokesperson Fred Armstong said.
TransLink had previously announced changes to its winter plans following last year’s transit trouble, including testing kevlar tire socks for buses on Burnaby Mountain and heat tracing and cover boards for the CanadaLine’s power rail.
