Snow, snow, and then more snow: Metro Vancouver sees its first real blast of winter

Posted February 1, 2025 2:31 pm.
Last Updated February 11, 2025 11:47 am.
Arctic weather has arrived in Metro Vancouver, and a blanket of snow has covered neighbourhoods from rooftops to sidewalks.
A snowfall warning is in effect, and 1130 NewsRadio meteorologist Michael Kuss says this first blast will continue through Sunday morning and taper off gradually to wet flurries or showers into the afternoon.
But there’s more on the way, so don’t put away your shovels just yet.
“A number of locations are already over 10 centimetres of snow,” Kuss said.
He says 10 to 20 cm are possible from this first round.
“There’s another round coming for early Monday morning,” he said.
“The arctic air continues to plunge down across the province, and that is going to mix with this instability that’s created by an upper-level low that’s tracking just west of Vancouver Island. At that mixing point, we will get some instability snow showers.”
Environment Canada says higher terrain is expected to see the most accumulation, but all areas could see intense flurries and heavy accumulation.
Some regions, such as parts of Vancouver and Burnaby, started seeing flurries early Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a separate warning has been issued for the stretch of the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt, with up to 25 cm expected by Saturday night.
Drive for the conditions
Callers to 1130 NewsRadio report vehicles struggling to deal with the snow.
“Willington between Deer Lake and Kingsway is a horror show: cars, trucks, buses, stuck on the hill,” Steve from Burnaby told us.
“I tow the buses, and I came from Willingdon and Lougheed with a bus. I got to Deer Lake and I thought, ‘No.'”
BCAA reminds drivers to take extra caution.
“No matter how experienced you feel, make sure you are prepared for the driving conditions,” said automotive customer care manager Josh Smythe.
“Make sure you have prepared your car properly. Don’t go out there with brand-new all-season tires. They still need to be proper winter tires.”
As well, it’s important to clear all the snow off vehicles before driving.
“As a driver, when we go out to our vehicle first thing in the morning and we realize there is snow all over the place, we dust off the car, but we often fail to scrape all the windows,” said Josh Smyth, part of the association’s customer care team.
“We are concerned about the front and the back, but the back passenger windows are just as important so you can shoulder check.”
Smythe says they expect a jump in calls this weekend, with cars sliding off roads or getting stuck being the most common roadside emergencies during wintry weather.
With files from David Nadalini.
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