More snow expected around the Lower Mainland tonight
Posted December 18, 2012 11:13 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The morning commute has been a mess, thanks to snow falling in many places around the Lower Mainland.
“We knew this was coming; it was raining yesterday… we figured the cold air would leak down off the mountains,” explains News1130 Meteorologist Russ Lacate. “It did — we had some hail in the afternoon drive yesterday. It gradually changed to snowflakes late at night as the temperature dropped down to zero.”
He expects the flurries and slushy showers to taper off today. “But tonight, a major winter storm will be closing in. Easterly winds climb to 50 km/hr, the temperature falls back down to zero, and snow will spread ashore throughout tonight, accumulating several centimetres.”
The transition period begins Wednesday morning; snow will change phases to sleet and then to rain, beginning first by the water and gradually working its way further inland. Your Wednesday high is plus 4, but I am concerned about significant snowfall accumulation before we see enough rain to really wash it away,” he adds.
“Everybody wants to know ‘Will it snow on my street? How much will I get?’ To be quite honest, it’s impossible to tell at this point. Just be fair warned that we’ve got snow coming tonight, changing to rain tomorrow for a sloppy, stormy Wednesday,” says Lacate.
Expect to see crews salting and sanding major routes across the Lower Mainland today.
“We’ll be clearing all the other roads and making sure all the road networks of priority are clear today and prepared for tonight. We’ll be running full crews through the night,” says Brian Carter with the City of Burnaby.
He adds Burnaby had 13 trucks on the roads this morning clearing snow and can add a couple more, if needed.
