Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for B.C.'s South Coast Friday, warning residents that even though the official start of winter is still more than a month away, they'll be getting a sneak preview this weekend.
The agency forecasts between five to 10 centimetres of snow tonight for Metro Vancouver. Eastern Vancouver Island, Greater Victoria and the Southern Gulf Islands will also see high accumulations, with the most amounts falling over higher elevations.
Parts of the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island were already hit with hail and light snow Thursday night, with higher elevations seeing flurries continue into the morning.
Cold arctic winds gusting up to 60 kilometres an hour are expected to sweep through the Fraser Valley.
The icy blast is being caused by a building arctic ridge of high pressure over B.C.'s Interior. The system is producing strong outflow winds through the coastal valleys, pushing cold air out to the coast.
The icy wind is expected to combine with a low pressure system off of Vancouver Island Friday evening to produce the season's first widespread snowfall.
Strong northeasterly outflow winds could rise up to 80 kilometres and hour, with gusts to 110 kilometres an hour over the province's Central Coast. Winds of up to 90 kilometres and hour are predicted to sweep through sections of Howe Sound.
Environment Canada said the arctic air mass will combine with those gusts to create wind chill temperatures of minus 20 degrees over the inland sections of the North and Central Coast.
The winds are expected to die down somewhat Saturday as the Arctic ridge weakens.
There's a 60 per cent chance of flurries forecasted for Saturday in Metro Vancouver, clearing in the afternoon. Sunshine and temperatures hovering around zero are predicted until Tuesday.
Preparations underway
Metro Vancouver's transit authority sent out de-icing trucks overnight to ensure trolley wires on downtown Vancouver bus routes don't freeze. The first trolleys out of the yard this morning used metal ice cutters as well.
TransLink Spokesperson Drew Snider said bus loops on Burnaby Mountain were salted and sanded overnight, and no problems were reported on higher elevation routes.
Snider said passengers should dress warmly and be prepared for extra wait times.
"If we do get a whole lot of snow then you can't get middle of July transit service in the middle of November -- that's not going to happen," he said.
Many Metro Vancouver drivers have spent the last few days getting their vehicles ready for the long winter ahead.
Tom Irving of Fountain Tire said crews were run off their feet with requests for winter tires on Thursday.
"We were lined up all day," he said.
In sharp contrast to last winter, when Olympic officials were forced to truck in snow to fill in grassy spots on official ski venues, officials are predicting snowier and colder conditions in much of southern B.C. this year thanks to La Nina.
Many runs on Whistler Mountain opened Friday, a full six days early.
Vancouver prepares
The City of Vancouver has warned residents to clean up after the impending snowfall, or face a fine.
A memo from city staff reminds property and business owners that they are responsible for clearing their sidewalks of snow by 10 a.m. the morning after a snowfall.
The city says residents should be on alert for extreme weather forecasts and have shovels and de-icing materials ready. Officials are also suggesting that residents should step up and shovel sidewalks for disabled and elderly neighbours.
Since the heavy snowfall of 2008, the city has spent tens of thousands of dollars on snow removal equipment. Its new arsenal was brought in after the public outcry caused by unplowed streets two years ago.
Murray Wightman, the city's manager of street operations, showed off a snow blower brought in from the Air Force base at CFB Comox.
"If I'd had something like this in 2008, I could have had those curb lanes on the majors freed up so that it would have been easier for the public," he said.
But the new, wider equipment won't be much help in residential neighbourhoods.
"With cars parked on both sides of that plow, the driver has about a foot on each side. That's not a lot of wiggle room," Wightman said.
Smaller plows will be used in tighter spaces -- the city even has equipment capable of clearing the seawall.
The city has also installed brine tanks at the works yard, so crews can spray salty water on hard-to-plow areas like the new separated bike lanes.
"I think we're in much better shape. We learned a lot of from 2008/2009," said Neal Carley, division head of streets for Vancouver.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Shannon Paterson
