The region could see five to 20 centimetres of heavy, wet snow

FILE – People use the street to slide down following a major snow storm in Burnaby, B.C., Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Vancouver and the lower mainland have been pounded with heavy snow fall and freezing temperatures. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Environment Canada upgraded its special weather statement to a snowfall warning on Monday afternoon for the Lower Mainland.

Five to 20 centimetres of heavy, wet snow is expected on Tuesday and continuing in some areas into Wednesday morning.

The air will be “cool, but not truly Arctic,” the agency said, so amounts will vary around the region.

The highest amounts are expected over the northern and inland sections of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley where the snow will persist until Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

Warmer air will arrive faster over the Sunshine Coast and the southwestern sections of Metro Vancouver, and the transition to rain there will start Tuesday afternoon or evening.

It should turn to rain everywhere by Wednesday.

Give yourself extra time to get where you need to go and be extra aware of icy roads and sidewalks.

Tuesday will be the second snowstorm of the year for the Lower Mainland, after a Jan. 15 dump led to widespread road and school closures, as well as a provincial caution for people to stay home unless they absolutely had to travel.

VIDEO: Snow leads to stranded cars, closed schools and chaos on Lower Mainland roads

@katslepian

katya.slepian@bpdigital.ca

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