Environment Canada warns flurries possible for Wednesday evening commute in Metro Vancouver

A cold snap is tightening its grip on the South Coast, bringing sub-zero temperatures and wicked wind chill.

Snow has already arrived on parts of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, and Metro Vancouver could be next.

Environment Canada says there’s a chance of flurries Wednesday night that could arrive during rush hour.

It’s not expected to accumulate, but it could make roads slippery.

“It's really going to be scattered around," said Bobby Sekhon, a meteorologist for Environment Canada.

"It's an unsettled air mass. It's going to be really pockets of snow in places, similar to what we saw on Tuesday night."

Bursts of flurries may reduce visibility and dropping temperatures could create black ice.

Snow has already fallen in Nanaimo and parts of the Sunshine Coast, and warnings are now in place there with up to 15 centimeters expected.

The Lower Mainland got a small taste of the wintry weather Tuesday with hail coming down in several spots.

Snow also fell at higher elevations, like on Burnaby Mountain, though no weather warnings are currently in place for Metro Vancouver.

“The weekend looks a lot more interesting," said Sekhon. "We're still going to have some cold air in place. It's going to be backing off a bit, but we are getting some precipitation coming down the coast. And with that we can probably expect some snowfall, especially Saturday night in Metro Vancouver."

However, he says it’s too soon to say how much.

The Ministry of Transportation issued a warning reminding drivers to be prepared on Tuesday.

“Drivers are reminded to avoid unnecessary travel when weather conditions are poor, prepare for delays and longer commutes, and ensure their vehicles are properly equipped with winter tires,” wrote the ministry in a statement.

The province says crews will be out in full force to plow, sand and salt if needed.

It’s trying to reassure drivers that technicians are keeping a close eye on the Port Mann and Alex Fraser bridges.

That’s to avoid a repeat of last November’s nightmare, when people were stranded for more than 12 hours.

Plan to bundle up over the next several days.

“It's going to be cold. We're going to see temperatures that are going to struggle to get above freezing during the day and fall below freezing overnight,” said Sekhon.

Wind chill values are expected to reach minus nine Wednesday and Thursday, and it will be even colder in the Fraser Valley.