VANCOUVER -- Most of B.C.'s south coast is under a snowfall warning, with parts of the region expected to see up to 20 centimetres accumulate on Tuesday.
Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Sunshine Coast are under the warning, with Howe Sound under a special weather statement.
"A favourable set up for widespread low elevation snow over the south coast is shaping up for today and tonight. A front will track down the B.C. coast beginning this morning and combine with a cool airmass to produce snow across the lowlands," Environment Canada's warning said.
"Snowfall amounts will vary significantly across the region. The air will be cool, but not truly Arctic, so snowfall amounts will vary with proximity to the water, elevation and intensity of precipitation."
In Vancouver specifically, as much as 10 centimetres is expected to accumulate and the city said its crews are "on full snow response."
Priority routes – including main roads, bus routes, priority hills and the 15 most-used bike routes – are being targeted first for clearing, the city said.
"As always, residents and business owners can play a big role in ensuring snow doesn’t become hazardous for people with mobility challenges," the city said in a news release. "It's important that snow is cleared promptly from walkways and sidewalks before it hardens to ice."
The city has also opened multiple emergency shelters and warming centres as temperatures are forecast to dip.
The snow isn't supposed to last long, however, with warmer air arriving later in the day, turning the snow to rain in the afternoon or evening.
"Precipitation should be rain everywhere across the south coast lowlands by Wednesday as a flow of milder Pacific air returns," the snowfall warning said.
