Strong outflow winds and snow with up to 20 cm in Metro Vancouver will make driving hazardous. A snowstorm is expected to hit B.C.’s South Coast on Tuesday evening and, together with high outflow winds, will create hazardous driving conditions across much of southwest B.C., Environment
Canada warns.
Yimei Li, a meteorologist with the federal weather agency, says snow will first hit Vancouver Island before starting to fall in Metro Vancouver around 4 p.m. PT, and will be accompanied Wednesday morning by strong winds with gusts ranging
between 40 and 70 km/h.
Low-lying areas like Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey and Langley can expect 10-15 centimetres of snow overnight, Environment Canada said in a slew of weather warnings, while higher elevation areas like North Vancouver, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge could see up to 20 centimetres. For Richmond and Delta, 5-10 centimetres of snow is expected. Up to 25 centimetres of snow is forecast for inland parts of Vancouver Island, with around 5-10 centimetres in southern areas. Strong southeast winds through the Strait of Georgia, gusting up to 90 km/h, are expected. The Sunshine Coast is looking at 10-15 centimetres with winds of up to 80 km/h.
Winter weather warnings for BC
Environment Canada also issued winter storm warnings for highway routes including the Sea to Sky, the Coquihalla and the Okanagan Connector, saying heavy snow and strong winds could create near-zero visibility at times. The snow is expected to taper off or switch to rain by Wednesday morning, potentially causing slippery roads and poor visibility.Li recommends avoiding all non-essential travel Tuesday evening and Wednesday. ”If it changes from snow to rain the results will be quite messy. Tomorrow morning we’re looking at some really high impact weather for the Lower Mainland,” Li said. Snow weighing down branches in combination with wind gusts could cause tree branches to break.
“The best thing to do is stay at home or stay sheltered during this time. Travelling during a snowstorm is very dangerous,” Li said…
Source: cbc.ca/news
Friday, April 24, 2026
