Mountain Weather Forecast

Very cold with a few flurries possible in the north, blustery & snowy in the south!

An exiting trough of low pressure will bring snowfall to all interior ranges south of the Cariboos today, with the heaviest amounts falling over southern parts of the Selkirks, Purcells, and BC Rockies. Moderate, gusty southerly or southwesterly ridgetop winds will shift to become westerly through the day. That's not the end of the snowfall though! Just as one system exits the province, another slides down the coast, reaching Vancouver Island by late Thursday. While the heaviest snowfall targets the southwestern corner of BC this time, periods of light to moderate snow will fall for interior ranges south of Blue River Friday through Boxing Day.

In the north, a different story will play out. Aside from light flurry activity today, the main weather elements to follow are the temperatures and wind. As the Arctic air continues to deepen, temperatures will drop further and northeasterly winds will develop. The moderate to strong winds aren't just for the mountaintops! Winds will funnel through gaps in the Rockies, and may reach very strong to extreme values for the Coast Mountains. Frigid temperatures plus wind can lead to hazardous wind chill conditions. Be sure to tune into your local forecast and warnings in your area before heading out, and to help calculate your risk in mountainous areas, here's a handy, printable wind chill calculator. For more information on how to stay safe, check out ECCC's wind chill fact sheets!

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The 500mb animation shows an upper level trough (V shaped black lines) moving from Vancouver Island to Alberta today. Snowfall will taper from west to east as the through exits BC; its back edge coinciding with the shift in ridgetop winds discussed above. Simultaneously, a new disturbance leaves the Gulf of Alaska this morning, slides down the coast and becomes a weak upper low near Vancouver Island by Friday morning. This low will spread snow into the southern interior through the weekend, clashing with Arctic air descending from northern BC.

The dashed pink 500-1000mb thickness lines indicate Arctic air. Initially over the North Rockies, Dease Lake and Prince George, the Arctic front will push out to the Coast Mountains and down to the USA border just in time for Christmas and Boxing Day.