Will winter weather return to the South Coast of B.C.?
Finally, cooler weather is forecast to push into southern British Columbia during the second half of February--a positive sign for the ski hills in need of more snow
Better late than never, B.C., as some much-needed, lower-elevation snowfall will be coming to the South Coast mountains.
A few systems are expected to impact the region this week, allowing for more of a typical winter pattern and much colder temperatures aloft.
The result will be for substantial snow for alpine areas, a big boost for ski areas. However, the snow will likely impact travel.
Snowpack summary:
Provincial snowpack is 111 per cent of normal as of Feb. 1.
Typically, 66 per cent of snow has accumulated by Feb. 1
Lowest basins
Vancouver Island: 49 per cent
South Coast: 78 per cent
Highest basin average:
Liard (161 per cent), Central Coast (157 per cent) and Upper Fraser West (142 per cent).
Whistler Blackcomb has recorded 535 cm of snowfall this season, well below the annual seasonal averages of 1,100 cm.
Snowfall totals since Dec. 1
Nelson: 99 cm
Kamloops: 33 cm
Cranbrook: 27 cm
Vancouver: 0 cm
Victoria: 0 cm
Comox: 0 cm
Abbotsford: 0 cm
Pattern change on the horizon?
Developing ridging into Alaska will initiate a cooler trough pattern across British Columbia by mid-February.
These patterns have been known to draw cooler Arctic air farther south.
Coastal lows can interact with Arctic air, producing snow levels in some cases just a few hundred metres above sea level.
Freezing level is forecast to hover below 1000 metres through the bulk of the month, providing ample opportunity to accumulate snow across all ski resorts in the South Coast.
Stay tuned to The Weather Network for the latest forecast updates for B.C.