Some Lower Mainland residents were woken by a strange 91原创enon Sunday morning (Dec. 18), as a weather event typical of hot rainy days collided with falling snow.
Thundersnow is when snow replaces rain as the primary precipitation during a thunder and lightning storm. It鈥檚 rare, but when it does occur, it often sounds more muffled than the typical cracks of a thunderstorm and can be accompanied by graupel or hail.
Here鈥檚 what some people throughout the region saw:
Thunder snow in Burnaby
鈥� Vineetx (@NinjaGaara)
Thunder snow in Vancouver B.C this morning! Great stuff at 0633 local time.
鈥� 围. 围伪蟻伪位伪渭蟺慰蟺慰蠀位慰蟼 (@HarryPoulos2)
Graupel or hail?
鈥� Wet Coast Life (@wetcoastlife)
In addition to witnessing such a rare event, residents will also wake up Sunday with the chance to put their snow skills to the test once again.
Environment Canada is calling for 5 to 10 cm in Metro Vancouver and 10 to 15 cm in the Fraser Valley to finish off the weekend. That鈥檚 in addition to up to several centimeters which fell overnight Saturday.
Already Sunday morning, at least two major incidents has been reported on Highway 1 in North Vancouver.
DriveBC says the highway鈥檚 eastbound right lane is blocked due to a stalled vehicle between Railway Street and Second Narrows Bridge. Another incident between the Mountain Highway exit and Lynn Valley Road exit is also blocking the highway westbound. Delays are expected at both.
Environment Canada is warning that roads may be slippery and visibility is likely to worsen.
Hwy 1 WB trying to get through North Vancouver is a disaster right now. Avoid. Holy crap avoid this. I'm stuck here for a while! 15 spunout cars trying to get to Mtn Hwy.
鈥� Brad Atchison (@Brad604)
Hwy 1 WB is closed at 715am after Mtn Hwy due to multiple spinouts. Do not go this way.
鈥� Brad Atchison (@Brad604)
Here鈥檚 what things look like elsewhere in the region:
Coming down heavy now. 2 cm in Coquitlam. Austin nights, Coquitlam
鈥� YJ (@Ourfluffy)
Snowfall in .
鈥� Stephen A. Braverman (@stephenbraverm1)
7 a.m. .
Didn't hear the Thundersnow even though I was awake when it happened in other parts of the region.
Winds have picked up with light , temp down to -2掳
鈥� Kyle Marshall (@Kylem87)
Westminster Pier Park.
鈥� Stephen A. Braverman (@stephenbraverm1)
Marine drive . Snowing hard now.
鈥� Mark Teasdale 鈽� (@MarksGonePublic)
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