As the holiday season approaches, Vancouver Island is expected to experience several rounds of precipitation. However, unless you’re heading to the mountains, a white Christmas is unlikely.
Matt Loney, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, explained that the likelihood of snow is “very low to minimal, or even zero.”
Meteorologists have run models consistently over the past few days, and the results have remained unchanged. “The models are showing a consistent response, which reinforces the idea that low-level snow is unlikely for Vancouver Island,” Loney said. “It’s very unlikely we’ll see any Arctic air before Christmas.”
So, whether you’re celebrating a winter holiday or not, it seems Vancouver Island will be snow-free this Christmas.
Rain, however, is expected around several key dates: the Winter Solstice on December 21, Christmas Day, the start of Hanukkah on December 25, and Kwanzaa starting on December 26.
For those planning to visit higher elevations, such as Mount Washington or Mount Cain, snow conditions should be favorable. “The snow and freezing levels will be enough to create a good snowpack at Mount Washington for Christmas,” Loney noted.
While snow is unlikely for most of Vancouver Island, heavy rainfall is much more probable. Forecast models show incoming disturbances, with the mid-Island region likely to see the heaviest rainfall.
“There’s still some uncertainty in the models,” Loney said, “but stormy weather is definitely on the way.”
