White Stuff From the Sky to Fall on Vancouver

With frozen rain and slushie precipitation in the forecast what else would a good Vancouverite do than brace for school closures and abandon their cars at the side of roads when there’s a call for such treacherous conditions?

Local news outlets have already composed their “school closures” posts on their websites, and with that first frost of the year on our minds, I’m sure downtown will look like a ghost town if an icy storm front hits the coast this evening.

Honestly though, I can’t be too hard on those commuters who bundle up and stay indoors when there’s the slightest hint of ice on the roads, as living downtown I’ve been a bit sheltered in recent years from the true elements Fraser Valley residents face. Not to mention the trek my sister has to make from Surrey to North Vancouver, which can hit her with dozens of weather patterns throughout the single car ride.

However, this doesn’t stop me from letting my husband go about about how we all throw on two scarves and layer gloves when it’s -5C outside for a day, when he’s been brought up with -25C temperatures that last for months.

Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

We love the pineapple express, La Nina, El Nino and all their quirky cousins. Rain in the city means snow on the mountains, snow in the city mean no work or school – it’s a win-win when winter actually decides to hit Vancouver. Sure we moan and complain about it being too cold, or when we slam on the brakes and skid into the car we’re following too closely behind, but that’s just what West Coasters do.

So pile on those fleece vests under your Goretex and prepare yourselves for a blizzard of Metro Vancouver proportions: possible snow in the Valley and frost from Langley to Stanley Park. It should be a doozy folks.

Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

Of course if there actually is 2 feet of snow come morning, I’m SO grabbing my ‘krazy karpet‘ and hitting the nearest hill.