Are Vancouver's suburbs considerably colder and snowier than downtown? (apartment, live)
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Weatherspark suggests a significant difference in temperature between the downtown peninsula and Burnaby. Apparently downtown Vancouver tends to be about 2-7C and gets an average of 17" of snow annually while Burnaby is more like 0-5.5C and gets 40 inches of snow annually. That's a big difference! Basically it's the difference between a continuation of Fall and a legit Winter.
Is this how it is in actuality? And which suburbs in general have the coldest snowiest winters?
Are you sure that was inches weatherspark said and not centimeters? Or was it a measurement of rain rather than snow? The temperatures you mentioned sounds like it could be about right for winter but I don't think that Vancouver averages 17 inches of snow per year nor that Burnaby averages 40 inches. Snow is not common and it doesn't stick - for example it only snowed on 3 or 4 days this past winter and each time it snowed it was gone by the next day - but precipitation of rain is a whole different kettle of fish altogether.
In the winter the suburbs that are at higher elevations and those that are further out in the Fraser Valley get more snow and colder temperatures than Vancouver and in the summer all of the suburbs including those at higher elevations get warmer temperatures than Vancouver.
Are you sure that was inches weatherspark said and not centimeters? Or was it a measurement of rain rather than snow? The temperatures you mentioned sounds like it could be about right for winter but I don't think that Vancouver averages 17 inches of snow per year nor that Burnaby averages 40 inches. Snow is not common and it doesn't stick - for example it only snowed on 3 or 4 days this past winter and each time it snowed it was gone by the next day - but precipitation of rain is a whole different kettle of fish altogether.
In the winter the suburbs that are at higher elevations and those that are further out in the Fraser Valley get more snow and colder temperatures than Vancouver and in the summer all of the suburbs including those at higher elevations get warmer temperatures than Vancouver.
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17" is just an average. I'd imagine it's more like most years just get 5" of snow and you get the freak year that gets like 50" and skews the average.
"During peak snow season, accumulation at this location on a given day is unlikely. The chances of there being snow on the ground are highest around January 1, occurring 11% of the time. The season in which snow is relatively likely to be on the ground spans from November 26 to January 23."
"The snow is typically at its deepest on January 8, with a median depth of 4.3"; the depth exceeds 6.6" only one year out of ten."
That includes all of Vancouver, including the slightly higher elevations away from downtown. Downtown rarely gets snow and even rarer to have it stick.
Don't the Burnaby weather reports come from SFU/mountain area? I went to SFU and sometimes there would be a ton of snow, but nothing down where the buses picked you up.
I've lived in Van as well as the suburbs including the Valley and I never noticed a difference beyond a bit of ocean chill and a bit more heat in the valley (summer).
Don't the Burnaby weather reports come from SFU/mountain area? I went to SFU and sometimes there would be a ton of snow, but nothing down where the buses picked you up.
That's a possibility. Yeah I would doubt Metrotown gets substantially more snow than downtown Vancouver, I mean maybe a little more. Other burbs of Vancouver seem to get about 20-25" of snow.
Last winter we had a pretty cool snowfall occur in February, I live downtown and none of it stuck. The temperature was around 2c warmer than burnaby.
I hopped on the skytrain and once you got to nanaimo station the snow started to stick, the closer you got to metrotown the more it stuck, in central park there was at least 6 inches, whereas downtown where I live had pretty much no snow at all. It was more of a rain/snow mix down by my apartment.
The further into the valley i got the deeper the snow pack, In surrey/langley it had to have been a couple feet.
I went back into town after this and once I got back downtown there was pretty much a centimetre or 2 on the ground.
Yes the elevation differences in Vancouver can have a drastic impact on the amount of snow which falls.
PS: This last winter had closer to 6 snowy days and snowfall levels were above normal. Closer to 20 inches from november to march.
I have no reason to believe weather sparks data is incorrect.
Last edited by bcasey25raptor; 04-11-2014 at 10:12 PM..
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