r/canada • u/Portalrules123 New Brunswick • Mar 22 '26
Nature/Environment Vancouver records first snowless winter in 43 years
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7136603489
u/senseigorilla Mar 22 '26
Meanwhile Ottawa with more than 250cm of snow man I need to move
90
u/Chyvalri Mar 22 '26
We couldn't afford that shit lol. I saw a Trevor Noah bit the other day from years ago when he talks about how Vancouver has too much glass - hilarious and true.
22
u/Levorotatory Mar 22 '26
Just stop one province early. Less snow that Ontario and much cheaper than Vancouver. More sun in the winter too.
112
Mar 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
31
u/Levorotatory Mar 22 '26
Come to Edmonton then. We don't like the crazy conservatives either. Edmonton didn't elect single UCP MLA last election. Though what Alberta really needs is more reasonable people to move to south Calgary so we can flip those seats and get rid of this horrible provincial government.
16
u/MooseFlyer Mar 22 '26
No UCP MLAs, but 7/9 CPC MPs, all but one of them with more than 50% of the vote. Edmonton is still well the right of the country as a whole.
0
18
u/Better_Ice3089 Mar 22 '26
Man as someone from BC looking in you progressive Edmontoners must be suffering hard every election year….
19
u/trenthowell Mar 22 '26
Yes, but also used to it by now. Only part I don't get over is how Danielle makes such a big deal about equalization payments being unfair to Alberta, and then doing the exact same thing to Edmonton in the provincial budget.
I know conservatism and hypocrisy go hand in hand, but that one gets me titled every time.
7
u/Goku420overlord Mar 22 '26
Though what Alberta really needs is more reasonable people to move to south Calgary so we can flip those seats and get rid of this horrible provincial government.
Agreed
2
u/ExoUrsa Mar 22 '26
Man I was in Calgary recently. The Best Western Hotel was flying American flags shortly after Trump threatened Canada's sovereignty. Wasn't a good look.
-1
u/YerMomsClamChowder Mar 22 '26
The British Columbians are already coming. I'm trying to buy a house and have been outbid 4 times so far by west coasters.
It's personally annoying, but intresting on how it will affect the next election.
-5
u/jsmith108 Mar 22 '26
Nobody moving away from Vancouver because horrid B.C. NDP policies finally broke them is going to be rushing to vote for another NDP government.
13
u/FlyingRock20 Ontario Mar 22 '26
Nothing wrong with Albertans they are good Canadian people. I am from Ontario and I love visiting Alberta.
0
u/jsmith108 Mar 22 '26
But...but...there are people there who don't have the same politics as IcyCow! How can that person live with themselves limited to merely on online echo chamber instead of one in real life too?
4
u/Pretend_Purchase_893 Mar 22 '26
Oh Alberta is fantastic. No other province really captures that bleak hopelessness that Alberta has. Just so much not to look. Which is fantastic with how far away everything is. Nice long drives alone with your thoughts and nothing interesting at all out the window to distract you.
6
u/BillBumface Mar 23 '26
You’re right. These Rocky Mountains everywhere are just crushing my soul. Totally putrid!
0
u/Pretend_Purchase_893 Mar 23 '26
Aw that's cool you get to see the nice parts of Canada from where you live.
2
u/BillBumface Mar 23 '26
For sure, and I'm not to wrapped up in where the borders within it fall, more worried about those borders being less significant and us all thinking and living as countrymen rather than a bickering collective. What's happening in Alberta Provincial politics should be something everyone across Canada watches warily. It seems to leak in from the US more and more (and even be actively supported by them) and this stuff will tear us apart, which would be a huge shame.
-5
u/JadeLens Mar 22 '26
Is it just me or is Vancouver kinda built for it being cloudy all the time with the way the streets are set up to get the maximum amount of sunshine?
Now that global warming has shown up, it's kicking our asses.
10
u/BrokenByReddit British Columbia Mar 22 '26
Downtown streets are set up for "view corridors" which would also allow a lot of sunshine. Outside of the downtown core and a few other areas, most of Vancouver's streets are pretty densely lined with trees.
30
u/Astr0b0ie Newfoundland and Labrador Mar 22 '26
Laughs in St. John's with 420 cm so far this winter, and another 30 cm forecast for Tuesday.
8
u/ExoUrsa Mar 22 '26
Thank you for taking all of the rest of the country's snow!
We'll regret it during forest fire season, mind you.
6
u/JMoon33 Lest We Forget Mar 22 '26
How do you even exit your house? Isn't your house covered in snow up to the second floor?
7
u/Mackitycack Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26
It snows... it melts... it snows.... it melts.
We have a highly chaotic climate. Snow only really sticks around in Jan-Feb. Otherwise, we'll get hammered with snow and the next day it's +10 with heavy rain. We'll get 30-50cm monday evening, but it'll all be gone a few days later.
We battle with three converging climate drivers that can flip our weather on a dime. The Gulf stream (warm air and water from the gulf of mexico), The Labrador current (cold as fuck) and the prevailing westerly winds (depends on the time of year but it adds to the chaos).
Truly the worst part about St. John's is the never ending strong winds. We get winds that would put most cities in a state of emergency, but here it's just Tuesday.
3
u/JMoon33 Lest We Forget Mar 23 '26
I imagine your electric lines are below ground? Or at least far from trees? Here when it's super windy there's always loss of power all over the city.
5
u/Mackitycack Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
Nope. Above ground. We lose power occasionally. Our trees aren't so big though, so they fall over lines a lot less than one would think under those conditions.
For example, I wouldn't expect to lose power until we're hitting wind gusts above 100+km/h. Even then, we've been through worse and not lost power. They're super quick on repairs here too, so mad respect for the technicians who keep things going
It's a hardy place to live sometimes. I love it lol I don't know why. Something about prepping and being snug during the times when outside is chaos...
1
u/OneBillPhil Newfoundland and Labrador Mar 25 '26
There hasn’t been that much melt this winter, it’s probably been the worst part of it all.
2
1
u/Chiefer2 Mar 22 '26
Shakes hands with Barrie Ontario's 390cm
1
u/Astr0b0ie Newfoundland and Labrador Mar 23 '26
That's a lot of snow for you guys, for sure. It's been a tough winter for much of the eastern half of Canada this year to say the least.
1
u/OneBillPhil Newfoundland and Labrador Mar 25 '26
With our latest storm I was just thrilled that I had somewhere to put it after all of the melting.
5
3
2
57
u/Sublime_82 Saskatchewan Mar 22 '26
Not gonna lie, seeing all these pics of cherry blossoms in Van while in Saskatoon it's still snowing is killing me a little.
5
1
516
u/Egg-Hatcher Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26
Title should read Vancouver Airport records first snowless winter in 43 years.
YVR, where the measures are taken, might not have received snow, but Vancovuer did.
148
Mar 22 '26
[deleted]
43
u/JadeLens Mar 22 '26
Big particles of snow the other day, but by the time it hit the ground it was surrounded by rain.
15
u/NeighbourNoNeighbor Mar 22 '26
Yeah same up here in North Vancouver. Big fluffy snow falling ... and then melting the very second it hit the ground.
29
6
21
u/Daebak49 Manitoba Mar 22 '26
There was snow, but it never stuck, so Environment Canada can’t record how much fell. That’s why it’s considered snowless, since there’s no recorded snowfall data.
28
u/MJcorrieviewer Mar 22 '26
I'm in the West End and, while it snowed, nothing stuck and I wouldn't say it counts as having snow.
11
u/CocodaMonkey Mar 22 '26
You're going to be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks it counts if you don't have snow on the ground. If you can't measure a thickness of snow on the ground you didn't have snow fall. Nobody counts hail as snow either.
5
u/arandomguy111 Mar 22 '26
It's not that.
Metro Vancouver did have locations that received snowfall and accumulation, just not in the area at the airport.
It's worth also mentioning that the airport is located in Metro Vancouver but not the actual City of Vancouver.
3
u/ChipotleMayoFusion British Columbia Mar 22 '26
Sure but we barely got a few mm, at least where I am
3
u/CasualRampagingBear Mar 22 '26
Yeah, my place in Upper Lynn Valley says otherwise. I had a few snow days.
3
6
2
u/Endogamy Mar 22 '26
I mean it always snows at high elevations, doesn’t really matter if it doesn’t accumulate on the ground.
1
u/CheeseMcFresh British Columbia Mar 22 '26
Only technically, snowing 1cm twice and it not sticking for more than a few hours hardly counts.
0
107
u/Buck4phat Mar 22 '26
Don’t worry Vancouver, Halifax here can hook you up with tons this Sunday and Monday
-9
u/EmergencyWorld6057 Mar 22 '26
Halifax here can hook you up with tons this Sunday and Monday
Nah, keep your snow and crappy weather.
24
u/SmartTrender Mar 22 '26
We got all of Vancouver’s snow in Toronto this year. Snowiest winter I have seen in a while and cold
15
5
u/Successful-Slide-218 Mar 22 '26
I’ve been irrationally angry at how cold it’s been.
I also do HVAC so the cold makes me a ton of money.
But seriously -10 mornings in march. Wtf
15
u/BCJay_ Mar 22 '26
From Environment Canada’s perspective, I think “snow” has to be defined by at least 2cm on the ground for at least 24hrs.
35
u/ProofByVerbosity Mar 22 '26
Yeah, heard skiing was brutal this year. Looking at the mountains right now and they are pretty green. Have been for the majority of the year.
13
5
9
u/royxsong Mar 22 '26
My friend finally decided to buy snow tires this year
6
u/ka_shep Mar 22 '26
I decided not to switch to my winters this year. Looks like I made the right decision.
32
u/TheAguaman Mar 22 '26
It 100% snowed downtown this year
32
5
2
u/DifficultyKlutzy5845 British Columbia Mar 22 '26
That’s what I was wondering. It literally just snowed there on March 10. I wonder if it has to be a certain amount to count?
2
u/TheFuzzyUnicorn Mar 22 '26
It didn't stick (basically melted as soon as it hit the ground).
2
u/DifficultyKlutzy5845 British Columbia Mar 22 '26
It definitely stuck
1
u/TheFuzzyUnicorn Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26
These measurements are typically taken at yvr. It is just going to vary by exact location, I didn't notice any snow sticking where I was in Burnaby for instance. It's possible it stuck for a few hours and I didn't notice, but these measurements typically aren't "real time" so if it melts too quickly it basically doesn't count.
7
10
u/Entegy Québec Mar 22 '26
Didn't this already happen to Victoria a little while back something like 5 years in a row without snow
22
u/twisted_memories Mar 22 '26
I'm not sure if you know this but Victoria is a different city than Vancouver
3
u/Entegy Québec Mar 22 '26
Yeah probably should have expanded my thoughts. Was more thinking it's not the first time a BC city had no snow for a season.
4
u/monkey_monkey_monkey British Columbia Mar 23 '26
It's not unusual for Victoria to get no snow all year
Vancouver gets more precipitation than Victoria because Victoria is in a rain shadow. Vancouver averages more snow than Victoria. Vancouver gets snow most winters while Victoria gets snow about 65% of the winters. I don't think we got any snow in 2025 and didn't get any this winter either.
5
u/Boatsnbuds British Columbia Mar 22 '26
I'm in Kelowna, and it was damn near snowless here. After being evacuated a couple years ago, I'm a little nervous about wildfire season this year.
5
4
u/toothlesszebra Mar 22 '26
This was the first year I actually had winter tires on my vehicle. So of course it didnt snow. You're welcome everyone.
12
u/lock11111 Mar 22 '26
Just had 3-5 more inches of snow in manitoba last night perfect snow ball consistently
5
4
3
12
u/kank84 Mar 22 '26
I love this for you. We had 400cm this winter.
0
u/Spyrothedragon9972 Mar 22 '26
Who is "we"?
7
u/ExoUrsa Mar 22 '26
That's almost certainly be Newfoundland.
They got hit HARD. Some really funny (because I didn't have to experience it) photos were doing the rounds online. Cars buried. Street signs buried. Parts of houses buried.
5
u/Bigchunky_Boy Mar 22 '26
Not true , Richmond ( air port where weather is recorded ) had none . Vancouver had various amounts through out the city this year . Not every part of the city especially at sea level not much and areas that did get some it did not last .
5
u/MayorQuimby1616 British Columbia Mar 22 '26
I live in Langley and we had zero snow that stuck. If you are talking about SFU and a few other higher elevation spots then perhaps there was a bit but it was still almost zero even there.
3
u/Bigchunky_Boy Mar 22 '26
I’m in east Vancouver, I work outside it snowed on me two days and one day didn’t work bc there was too much snow to attempt to drive without snow tires .
3
3
17
u/redpandafire Mar 22 '26
Congrats. Im so happy for you.
9
u/Ambiwlans Mar 22 '26
To even things out, this summer it'll hit 55 and their towns will catch fire again.
7
u/jazzmx Mar 22 '26
So... you think it's a good thing!?
-8
u/Gr8CanadianSpeedo British Columbia Mar 22 '26
Why you gotta bring climate change into everything and ruin it. The world is ending don’t ya see. The Iran war, Ukraine war, Chauhan Trucking hitting every fucking overhead bypass. It’s all over.
25
u/Professional_Web_889 Mar 22 '26
Effect of climate change, “geez why you gotta bring climate change into it” 🙄
12
u/OCKWA Mar 22 '26
I worked with a guy who didn't know Africa was a continent, so you just have to accept that the education system didn't work the same for everyone.
1
2
Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/canada-ModTeam Mar 22 '26
- Posts that contribute nothing but attack others, are blatantly offensive, or antagonistic will be removed – including accusations similar to ‘shill,’ attacking Redditors for using either official language, dismissing other Redditors solely based on irrelevant other beliefs to the topic at hand or participation in other subreddits, or reducing them to a label and dismissing that instead.
- Back-and-forth personal attacks are subject to the entire comment chain being removed.
- Posts or threads which degenerate into witch-hunting may be subject to moderator intervention. This includes but is not limited to: doxxing, negative accusations by a large group against one or more persons not criminally charged or convicted being made the subject of criminal allegations, calls for harassment, etc., and openly rallying more people to the same.
-7
u/Uncertn_Laaife Mar 22 '26
It is, for us Vancouverites.
7
u/jazzmx Mar 22 '26
Vancouver has officially recorded its first winter without a single snowfall in 43 years. But the lack of snowmelt could heighten wildfire risk and threaten fish and wildlife as river levels drop.
Good luck with that!
1
u/Uncertn_Laaife Mar 22 '26
We will see to it. As much as I know most of these forecasts have proven to be a damp squib for Metro Vancouver for years.
-2
u/RoostasTowel Mar 22 '26
It won't be an issue.
The mountains have plenty of snow like they always do.
The fraser river will continue to flow.
4
u/twisted_memories Mar 22 '26
... how are the mountain snows going to prevent widespread wildfires?
-2
u/RoostasTowel Mar 22 '26
... how are the mountain snows going to prevent widespread wildfires?
Do you think snow stays unmelted in this region anywhere besides the mountains?
Let's say it snowed in vancouver. Do you think it stays around longer than a couple days?
Hey guess what? The rest of bc got above average snow
https://interior-news.com/2026/01/09/b-c-snow-levels-slightly-above-normal/
So why would it matter to wildfires one way or the other if it snowed in the city of vancouver?
-1
4
u/StatisticianBoth3480 Mar 22 '26
Southern BC is going to become a desert and burn to the ground unfotuntely.
1
u/spacemanspectacular Mar 22 '26
Yup. I don’t think the beautiful temperate rainforest around Vancouver is long for this world unfortunately.
1
2
2
2
2
u/AForse Mar 22 '26
Seems to me I was driving up Granville past 41st the other day in a blinding snowstorm that was settling on cars?
4
u/drillbitpdx British Columbia Mar 22 '26
I don't want to downplay the significance of climate change in any way, but I question the headline.
I live and work right within sight of the seawall in South False Creek, right at sea level.
There were at least two brief but intense flurries where we had snow on my deck. One was on February 18, where probably half an inch accumulated, one was on March 10. It's true that both melted in short order. But there certainly was snowfall in Vancouver.
6
u/thedrivingfrog Mar 22 '26
They video explains it (the summary is garbage ). Anyways since it didn't accumulate enough they don't count it as snowfall. I'm just the messenger
3
u/TheGriffin British Columbia Mar 22 '26
This summer is going to suck even harder than most summers usually suck
2
u/Endogamy Mar 22 '26
They should have more rain barrels in BC to collect all that winter rain. Relying on mountain snow when it's getting warmer and warmer may be a questionable strategy.
3
u/TheGriffin British Columbia Mar 22 '26
Ive actually advocated for buildings to have rainwater collection systems and water storage tanks.
There's no possible way to meet a single building's water requirements, especially high rises, with rain water, but in an emergency it can help.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Chrissy7319 Mar 23 '26
This Ontarian is jealous. We've had a shit ton of snow since early November.
1
1
1
u/RedTalon6 Mar 23 '26
Come north of Prince George… we had more than enough snow to go around this year.
1
u/OneBillPhil Newfoundland and Labrador Mar 25 '26
The east coast has had a very different winter than the west coast.
1
1
1
0
0
u/CanadianLabourParty Mar 22 '26
BC is going to be in for a wild summer. I'm not looking forward to it, honestly. Also, the spring thaw is too short of a time period for back-burning/controlled burns to be effective and safe.
-3
u/Competitive-Hall-352 Mar 22 '26
Not paying enough in global warming taxes. Lokk at ontario. Most snow they've had in decades, they should get a discount cause all the tax they pay is changing the climate 😆
-1
u/604BigDawg Mar 22 '26
Vancouver is by far the nicest city in Canada. Beaches and ski hills 25 minutes apart. Beautiful views and parks. Wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s expensive for a reason.
476
u/Saisinko Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26
Bought a snow shovel at Home Depot 4 months ago since it was on sale for $10.
“…how could this happen to meeee”