Vancouver snowfall warning raises delicious possibility of another epically entertaining commute

Get ready for the most entertainingly hellish commute you’ve seen since the last time it snowed in Vancouver, that monster dump of two centimetres in early January turning the entire region into the laughing stock of Canada—again. 

As sunny as it is this morning, Environment and Climate Change Canada is warning that a heavy pre-spring dump of snow might be headed our way starting around 2pm this afternoon. Which is a sign from God above that you should finally think about getting your snow tires installed this lunch hour. 

Between five to eight centimetres are forecasted for the Metro Vancouver region, with the most serious accumulation expected for North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Maple Ridge, and Coquitlam. 

Noting that “there may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas,” ECCC also reported this:

Snow levels will be hovering near sea level, and precipitation will start as rain mixed with snow late this afternoon. Snowfall accumulations are expected to vary greatly with elevation and proximity to the water. Snow will initially melt as the ground is still warm but the likelihood of accumulation increases as the evening progresses.

With a warming southwesterly flow aloft, snow levels will rise overnight resulting in mixed precipitation changing to heavy rain overnight.

Given that every snowfall turns a normally simple hour-long commute into a six-hour odyssey in these parts, today might be a great day to inform your supervisor—sometime around 1pm—that you’ve got some work you’re going to finish up at home. If not, go here for a refresher on what happens when Vancouver gets even a dusting of non-liquid precipitation. 

Once you’ve avoided the inevitable mess, pour yourself a Bailey’s and Nespresso, pull a chair up to the window, and enjoy. Someday, Vancouver will figure out that winter and bald summer radials don’t mix, especially when you’re trying to navigate Oak Street just south of False Creek. 

With spring on the horizon and the tulips already popping up on the West Coast, it’s unlikely that today is that day. So let the carnage begin. Again.