Following January’s warm start, which saw the first of spring’s flowers start sprouting, February’s weather was a bit of a surprise as it brought freezing temperatures and a frenzy of snowflakes to the Fraser Valley.
And although it’s located in the mountains, Hope’s proximity to the boreal biome typically makes for mild winters. According to ClimateTemps.com, the average temperature in Hope for mid-February hovers around 3.5-degrees Celsius, however, this year, the region is experiencing more below zero temperatures than above, and the precipitation is on track to be higher-than-average as well because of snowfall.
In the Fraser Valley, from Abbotsford to Hope, “a long period of snowfall with total amounts of (snow from) 15 to 25 cm is expected,” said an alert issued Tuesday afternoon by Weather Canada.
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“Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. Surfaces such as highways, roads … may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow,” the alert warned.
However, the warning wasn’t enough to prevent drivers from trying to travel the Coquihalla, which was closed Tuesday afternoon after an ambulance was rear-ended while helping out at a multi-vehicle crash. RCMP also reported several “spun out vehicles/semi trucks.”
READ MORE: Coquihalla reopens after ambulance rear-ended while paramedics help patients
The variance in weather wasn’t all bad, many were able to take advantage of the mercury’s sudden plummet in the thermometer: Ashley Tyler’s husband scaled Flood falls, people skated on Kawkawa Lake, and canines played delightfully in the snow.
But unlike most other students across the Lower Mainland, those in the Fraser Cascade school district weren’t treated to the coveted snow day until Wednesday, which was the second snow day for Chilliwack, and the third for many others in the region.
And while it has been cold out, it hasn’t yet beat the record set on Feb. 2, 1950, when the temperature in Hope dropped to -21.1C, and temperatures are supposed to rise above zero by the weekend, however, it’s doubtful those temperatures will beat the record for warmest February day in Hope, which was 19.4C on Feb. 27, 1968.
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