Environment Canada says snow coming to B.C. South Coast Tuesday

Arctic air settling over British Columbia this week is expected to bring snow to the South Coast. (Photo by Stephane Mignon/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

VANCOUVER — Arctic air settling over British Columbia this week is expected to bring snow to the South Coast.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Metro Vancouver, the North Shore up to Squamish, and eastern Vancouver Island.

It warns that a storm system coming in from the Pacific Tuesday afternoon will bring up to 15 centimetres of snow by Wednesday morning.

The agency says the shifting weather will likely cause dangerous driving conditions through mountain passes.

Environment Canada says temperatures across most of Vancouver Island should remain high enough to prevent significant accumulation of snow, with the exception of the higher elevations.

Snowfall amounting to 20 centimetres is also forecast for Interior mountains near the Alberta border.