This week's wintry blast of snow in Metro Vancouver will likely remain on the ground, with below-average temperatures forecasted well into next week.
Environment Canada meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau says while temperatures may moderate slightly during the daytime over the weekend, whatever's melted will likely refreeze at night.
That means the snow that fell along British Columbia's South Coast this week won't disappear naturally from local streets for at least the next seven days.
Heavy snow and icy road conditions forced school districts in Victoria and North and West Vancouver to close their schools, while some Lower Mainland universities also closed campuses.
Charbonneau says the frigid temperatures and snow all stem from the same Arctic air mass that has settled over much of the province, resulting in extreme cold warnings along B.C.'s Rockies and in the Peace region.
Temperatures were below -30 Celsius in much of the Interior and the north, with temperatures dipping to -39 in Dawson Creek early Tuesday.
The BC Highway Patrol asked commuters to reconsider driving on Tuesday after a fresh dump of snow caused multiple collisions on Highway 1 near the Port Mann Bridge caused long delays on the major Metro Vancouver link.
Regional transportation operator TransLink suggested people build extra time into their commute due to road conditions — something that motorists and commuters should watch out for in the next week as the cold temperature persists, Charbonneau says.
"(It's) definitely a situation where we can't really rely on mother nature to be our snow-clearing mechanism this time," she says. "It is going to linger."
Charbonneau says while no more heavy snowfalls are in the forecast for Metro Vancouver, any system that brings moisture to the coast while the Arctic air mass is in place could trigger more snow — something that isn't out of the question.
"At this point, it's very uncertain," she says. "There's nothing I can really point to to say, 'Yes, we're going to get another round of heavy snow.' But as long as the cold air lingers, it is a possibility.
Charbonneau says the forecast is uncertain on when Metro Vancouver might return to more seasonal temperatures.
"We don't really see a major warm-up on the horizon right now," she says.
"So, it's hard to answer that question right now. … We'll be watching closely to see when we can see those conditions develop. But for now, it looks like we're going to be experiencing cooler, wintry conditions for at least a week."
