You may want to pack yourself some extra clothing and patience for the morning commute tomorrow, as Metro Vancouver is expected to get as much as 20 centimetres of snow tonight.
The whisper of flurries that fell intermittently all weekend were just a hint of things to come, said John McIntyre, meteorologist with Environment Canada.
“(Today) should start pleasant enough, there may even be a little sun in the morning, and then the clouds will increase and we expect the snow to begin in the evening some time,” said McIntyre.
“The amount could be significant, close to 20 centimetres in some locations … That’s enough snow to get snowplows out (tonight) for sure.”
As if that doesn’t sound bad enough, there’s a chance the snow will turn into freezing rain in some places.
“(It could be) a nasty night,” McIntyre said. “Tuesday morning is probably going to be nasty (too, then) it will change to rain.”
The storm is expected to make way for a warm front, with the temperature moving up to a balmy 8 C tomorrow afternoon.
While McIntyre said this December won’t be anywhere near as snowy as it was last year — when six consecutive storms crippled the region and airport — the city has invested in new equipment to combat the white stuff.
Murray Wightman, manager of street operations for Vancouver, said five new snowplows and two new snowblowers have been added to the fleet.
He added that the city has a separate snow-removal strategy in place in case of storms during the Olympics.
