B.C. government says road maintenance crews ready for wet snow this weekend

With the possibility of wet snow in the forecast for parts of Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland tomorrow, the provincial government is saying road maintenance crews and bridge contractors are “prepped and ready.”

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says it has made some improvements to how plows and tows are deployed, and some pre-emptive work is already underway.

If we do get some of the white stuff, this will be the first real test for road maintenance contractors in the region since a series of snowstorms last year caused traffic chaos.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a special weather statement for parts of Metro Vancouver Friday, saying it believes snow will stick for the first time this season.

However, don’t expect the snow to stick around; ECCC is expecting temperatures to rise quickly Saturday evening, and any snow will “transition back to rain” with freezing levels rising to nearly 2,000 metres.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see snow or mixed precipitation around Metro Vancouver even close to sea level but not sticking,” CityNews Meteorologist Michael Kuss said.

“At higher elevations on the North Shore and in the Tri-Cities, slushy snow could stick, at least for a few hours.”

He says snow is basically “guaranteed” for mountain passes in southern B.C. and the Sea to Sky region north of Squamish.

“Expect 10 to 15 centimetres through Saturday. The North Shore ski hills should get 10 to 20 centimetres of snow,” he said.

The special weather statement comes as Grouse Mountain’s lifts are beginning to turn for the first time Friday, joining Cypress Mountain in opening for the 2023/24 winter season.

–With files from Charlie Carey.

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