Is Metro Vancouver set for snow before Christmas?

As snow is hitting the North Shore mountains hard Thursday morning, skiers, snowboarders, and snow-goers alike are rejoicing at the prospect the mountains might be fully open by Christmas.

Cypress Mountain Resort opened for riders Thursday, with limited terrain in use due to minimal snow. Grouse Mountain and Mount Seymour are awaiting the snow gods to answer their prayers for a base before firing up their lifts.

Cypress says it received three centimetres of snow over the past 24 hours, with almost a metre accumulating over the last seven days.

CityNews Meteorologist Michael Kuss says that as we see cold air returning to the Lower Mainland, it just means that temperatures are back to seasonal.

“It will be cold enough for snow on the local ski hills, but not for the neighbourhoods,” he stressed.

Kuss explains Saturday will be the coldest and wettest day of this current system — the most promising day for snow in the suburbs.

“The freezing level will dip to about 400 metres, so may see snow as low as Burnaby Mountain.”

But what about the holidays? Will there be enough snow for an early morning ski on Christmas before settling in for a meal?

Kuss says it might be too early to say, “but the current pattern and the overarching El Nino makes snow unlikely on December 25th.”