'Messy mix' of rain, snow and ice in store for Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island

Just as the frigid temperatures are forecasted to ease up, another blast of winter weather is headed to Vancouver Island and and the Lower Mainland—and commuters should take caution to avoid the chaos that ensued when snow fell last Thursday.

A special weather statement issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada Sunday afternoon says a Pacific low pressure system is headed toward the South Coast. The alert comes just hours after Arctic outflow warnings were lifted in the area.

The statement covers Metro Vancouver, central and western Fraser Valley, the Sunshine Coast, Greater Victoria, and Inland and East Vancouver Island.

Starting Tuesday evening, “the moisture from this system will interact with arctic air already in place over the south coast to bring a messy mix of rain, freezing rain and snow,” the weather agency says.

The event is expected to start with snow on Tuesday evening, and then switch to a “prolonged period” of freezing rain or ice pellets overnight and into Wednesday morning, according to ECCC.

“The potential for heavy snow and freezing rain during this time could pose a hazard to travel and outdoor activities,” the alert reads.

Extreme cold warnings remain in place for parts of northeastern and southeastern B.C., while a swath of the northern Interior is under a new snowfall warning. The arctic outflow warning—for strong winds and cold wind chill—is still in effect in the Sea to Sky Corridor and inland sections of the North and Central coast.