British Columbia Daily Snow

Heads up, there may be fresher snow! Read the latest British Columbia Daily Snow

By Alan Smith, Meteorologist Posted 1 year ago February 8, 2023

Active pattern continues through early next week

Summary

February is off to a good start in BC with the last storm on Mon-Tue producing moderate to heavy totals across much of the province. After a break on Wed, the next storm will impact BC from Wed night to Fri night, favoring Northern & Coastal BC with light snow for the Powder Hwy region on Friday. Two more storms will follow with a weaker storm on Sat & a stronger storm Sun night-Mon.

Short Term Forecast

Recent Snow Totals:

The Monday-Tuesday storm delivered moderate to heavy totals to much of Southern BC. The North Shore Mountains were right on the edge snow-level wise, and as it turns out, snow levels stayed low enough for these resorts to receive the deepest snow totals. Sasquatch Mountain was the big winner with 59 cm (24") in 48 hours.

Across the Interior, overall snow totals came in a bit on the lighter side of what I forecasted in some areas and within the forecast range for others. Big White was the biggest discrepancy with much less snow than I expected, while Whitewater, Fernie, and Revelstoke still came through with 20-22 cm storm total.

Here are the latest 48-hour snow totals as of Wednesday morning:

  • 59 cm (24") - Sasquatch Mountain
  • 40 cm (16") - Mt. Seymour
  • 25 cm (10") - Cypress Mountain
  • 24 cm (10") - Grouse Mountain
  • 22 cm (9") - Whitewater
  • 22 cm (9") - Manning Park
  • 21 cm (8") - Fernie
  • 20 cm (8") - Revelstoke
  • 20 cm (8") - Whistler
  • 20 cm (8") - Powder King
  • 13 cm (5") - Red Mountain
  • 12 cm (5") - Hudson Bay Mountain
  • 11 cm (4") - Kicking Horse
  • 10 cm (4") - Sun Peaks
  • 7 cm (3") - Apex
  • 6 cm (2") - Silver Star
  • 5 cm (2") - Panorama
  • 4 cm (1.5") - Kimberley
  • 4 cm (1.5") - Big White
  • 1 cm (0.5") - Mt. Washington

Wednesday will be a fun day out on the slopes with fresh snow and clearing skies in between storms, along with lighter winds.

Here are some scenes from the area on Wednesday morning:

Forecast for Wednesday to Friday:

Most areas will see a break on Wednesday aside from some isolated flurries. The next storm will then impact BC from Wednesday night through Friday night and will be fairly slow-moving with a weakening trend inland. Northern BC will get in on the action first, followed by the Southern Coast Range (Whistler, etc.) and eventually the Interior/Powder Highway. 

Southwest BC (Coast Range):

Conditions will stay dry for most areas during the day on Wednesday with temperatures staying below freezing across most skiable terrain. The exceptions will be the northern half of Vancouver Island including Mt. Washington where snow will begin on Wednesday afternoon and into Wednesday night, as well as mainland areas north of Whistler up toward Bella Coola.

Snow shower activity will pick up across all areas during the day on Thursday, becoming heavy at times at Mt. Washington, while Whistler and the North Shore Mountains will see lighter and more intermittent snowfall during the daytime hours. 

Snow levels during the day on Thursday will remain below the base of Mt. Washington. However, a warm front will result in warming temperatures and rising snow levels further south, peaking at close to 1,200 meters (4k feet) at Whistler and the North Shore resorts by the end of the day on Thursday.

This will result in a changeover to rain across the lower part of Whistler and for most of the skiable terrain at the North Shore resorts. 

We will likely see a lull in the action on Thursday evening, then a cold front will arrive during the overnight hours on Thursday night with heavy snow developing prior to dawn on Friday. Snow levels will also drop to 600-900 meters (2-3k feet) behind the front, meaning most skiable terrain will change to all-snow.

An unstable onshore flow will persist during the day on Friday, resulting in additional moderate to heavy snow showers through the daytime hours that will favor the North Shore mountains the most. Snow shower activity will linger into Friday evening before eventually tapering off overnight.

Winds during this storm will steadily pick up out of the south/southwest during the day on Thursday, then will be strongest on Thursday night as the cold front moves through, and will decrease on Friday but remain out of the south/southwest.

Snow totals from this storm will range from 15-30 cm (6-12") at Whistler and Mt. Washington, 10-25 cm (4-10") across the North Shore Mountains, and 2-10 cm (1-4") at Manning Park. Whistler and Mt. Washington will be deepest on Friday morning (and possibly Thursday PM at Mt. Washington), while the North Shore will see improving conditions as the day progresses on Friday. 

Interior BC and Powder Highway:

Dry conditions will prevail on Wednesday and through the daytime hours on Thursday aside from some isolated flurries. High temperatures will be around -5ºC or so at mid-mountain elevations both days which will help to keep snow conditions fresh. 

Light snow showers will become possible on Thursday night, mainly around Revelstoke and upslope-favored areas of the Monashee and Selkirk Ranges. 

The main round of snow will be the result of a cold front that sweeps across the Interior on Friday morning. This will result in a round of more widespread snow showers that should drop a quick 2-10 cm (1-4") of snow across most Interior resorts.

We could see some lingering snow showers on late Friday afternoon and evening behind the front, but overall I'm expecting this to be a quick event. We will have some jet stream support to work with, though, so if we get any localized heavy bands to set up then I wouldn't totally rule out some surprises. 

Northern BC:

Northern BC will see another deep event from this storm cycle. The Northern Coast Range and Skeena Range will see their heaviest snow on Wednesday night and during the day on Thursday with lighter snow showers from Thursday night through Friday night.

Storm snow totals will range from 25-50 cm (12-24") at Shames Mountain, 15-35 cm (6-14") across the Skeena Range, and 5-15 cm (2-6") at Hudson Bay Mountain.

Across Northeast BC, Powder King and the Northern Rockies will see its heaviest snow on Thursday and Thursday night with lighter snow showers on Friday and Friday night. Snow totals will range from 15-35 cm (6-14").

The Cariboo Range will see lighter totals during this cycle, ranging from 10-20 cm (4-8").

Extended Forecast

Outlook for Saturday (Feb 11) to Monday (Feb 13):

Two more storms will impact BC during this period. The first storm on Saturday will arrive from the west/northwest and will be on the weaker side but snow levels will stay low with a colder airmass in place. 

Northern BC, the Northern Powder Highway (especially Revy), and the North Shore Mountains will be the most favored to see moderate snow totals in this pattern. The Okanagan region can often do better than models project in west/northwest flow patterns as well. Whistler typically does not do well with WNW winds.

The next storm will be stronger and will impact most of BC from late Sunday through Monday. The storm will be dropping in from the Gulf of Alaska and tracking from northwest to southeast, while winds aloft will be transporting moisture into BC from the west/southwest which is a good direction for many areas. 

A strong jet stream is also anticipated with this storm, which should help to enhance snowfall rates. I'm expecting both Coastal and Interior areas throughout BC to do well with this storm, and Monday is looking like a potential powder day. Snow levels are expected to stay on the lower side as well.

Outlook for February 14th-22nd:

After the February 13th storm, we will likely see a lull in the pattern from approximately February 14th-16th though light snow showers couldn't be ruled out at times. 

After that, the next storm will be possible around February 17th-18th. Longer-range models are also hinting at this being the start of a more active pattern heading into late February. Temperatures are also expected to remain below average, which will support snow levels staying on the lower side.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Friday (Feb 10).

ALAN SMITH

About Our Forecaster

Alan Smith

Meteorologist

Alan Smith received a B.S. in Meteorology from Metropolitan State University of Denver and has been working in the private sector since 2013. When he’s not watching the weather from the office, Alan loves to spend time outdoors skiing, hiking, and mountain biking, and of course keeping an eye on the sky for weather changes while recreating.

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