This morning, Environment Canada issued a “Special Weather Statement” for Metro Vancouver including Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Surrey, Langley, Richmond, Delta, West Vancouver and North Vancouver, as well as the Fraser Valley including Chilliwack, Hope, and Abbotsford.

Rain possibly mixed with wet snow after midnight Friday with a slight risk of localized freezing rain.

A ridge of high pressure has led to a stretch of cold but sunny conditions around the south coast this week. While a layer of relatively warmer air has resided aloft, clear skies at night have consistently allowed surface temperatures to drop below the freezing mark.

A weak weather system approaching from the Pacific is forecast to reach the south coast Friday night. In advance of this system, cloud cover and winds will increase late in the day and likely hinder surface temperatures from dropping below zero Friday night. With the layer of relatively warmer air above the surface, a scenario of rain mixed with some wet snow is favoured.

A slight chance of freezing rain exists for areas around the Lower Mainland. Locations that are sheltered from outflow winds and areas further up the Fraser Valley could remain at or below zero, resulting in pockets of freezing rain overnight Friday and Saturday morning.

Filed under: Environment Canada, Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver, Snow, weather