A brief weather system has brought some snow with it into Cranbrook on Tuesday, Nov. 12 but Doug Lundquist, meteorologist with Environment Canada said that he’s not expecting a massive accumulation.
“It’s not unusual this time of year to start to see that snow happening,” he said. “We’re in a fairly mild pattern, so it’s snowing because you’re at a fairly high elevation and it’s the right time of day.”
Lundquist said he expects around two to five centimetres of snow for Cranbrook, falling through most of the day on Tuesday before petering out over night. Things will clear off and dry up over the course of Wednesday and Tuesday, but another system is forecast for Friday and Saturday, so there’s a good chance we will get more snow then.
The average snowfall for the month of November is 24 centimetres, but it’s hard to say whether we’re on track to meet or exceed that number. As we get later into the month, the likelihood for snowfall obviously increases.
The average high for Nov. 12 is 3 C and on Tuesday the high was -2 C, so a little colder than usual. However, as this system clears up and the week advances, temperatures will climb gradually, warming up to 3 C by Saturday and 6 C for Sunday and Monday, so right back to around average.
“It’s going to be kind of an up and down week with maybe the general trend towards warmer as we go through towards the weekend and early next week,” Lundquist said.
As far as the outlook for winter in the East Kootenay as a whole, Lundquist said it is more difficult to say than usual.
“The outlook is really uncertain,” he said, “and normally I can say with some certainty, but there is not El Nino or La Nina right now. We’re La Nada which is nothing, it’s neutral so there’s no indication from that. There’s a big blob of warm water west of Haida Gwai in the central eastern Pacific but the waters near B.C.’s coast are cold so we’re not sure how that will play out.”
With this spot of winter weather, Lundquist wanted to use it as an opportunity to remind people to be prepared for the season. If you haven’t already winterized your vehicle but equipping it with winter tires and an emergency kit in case of accident or breakdown, now’s the time. Have a winter checklist made up and make sure that you’re doing what’s necessary to stay safe and protect your home and vehicle.
