If you’re hoping to get a jump on your long weekend travel, Environment and Climate Change Canada has a warning for motorists: be prepared for some poor driving conditions as a storm system sweeps through the Calgary and Edmonton areas starting overnight Wednesday and into Thursday.

With 15 to 20 cm of snow forecast to fall in the Calgary area by the time the storm moves through the region Thursday evening, Environment Canada has issued a “special weather statement” for the city and surrounding areas.

“It could start as rain or rain snow mix. It continues overnight tonight and continues to tomorrow, till probably about dinnertime tomorrow. So five to 10 cm overnight starting there and then another five cm tomorrow,” said Global Calgary traffic and weather specialist, Leslie Horton.

While temperatures are expected to hover around the freezing mark, making it difficult to predict what total snowfall accumulations will be, meteorologists warn that snow may be heavy at times, creating reduced visibility and poor driving conditions and prompting a warning for motorists to allow extra time for travel.

Highway 2 and parts of Highway 1, in the Calgary area and west of the city, are expected to be amongst the hardest-hit areas.

The special weather statement covers an area stretching from just north of Fort Macleod in the south to Ponoka in the north, as well as Canmore in the west to Drumheller in the east.

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The city of Edmonton, which is not included in the special weather statement, is still expected to see some flurries starting late Wednesday afternoon with two to four cm of snow overnight and up to another four cm of snow on Thursday and into the evening.

“The majority of the snow is going to affect the areas from Red Deer further south, but we see a little bit still trailing up further west of Edmonton across the highway into the White Court area, with some scattered flurries still closer to Peace River for that (Thursday) morning commute,” said Global Edmonton weather specialist, Phil Darlington.

“As we progress through the morning into the afternoon, we see a little bit more of a focus of snow across the north, and there’s still likely to be some in and around the Edmonton area for the afternoon into the overnight, but overnight into Friday, most of that clears out, and we’re back to a mix of sun and cloud.”

With temperatures across much of southern and central Alberta expected to hit the mid to high single digits on Friday, the snow that does fall is expected to melt quickly, creating improved driving conditions in time for the Easter long weekend.

1:37
Warm, wet weather pushes risk of avalanche to seasonal high across Western Canada

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Britain’s early spring warm spell is set to come to an abrupt end this week with the arrival of rain and colder temperatures.

Much of the country will see the mercury return to single figures after an unusually dry and sunny interlude to March.

An early heatwave saw temperatures rise as high as 20C last week in parts.

Scotland had its hottest day of the year so far on Friday, with a high of 20.2C recorded at Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire.

But it may be too early to put away the winter coats as the country is set to experience a ‘cold plunge’, the Met Office has said.

From Monday, colder air and winds will see temperatures fall along with some showers towards the middle of the week and even possibly snow in Scotland.

Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said a new weather system coming in from the north west would turn conditions colder for most.

But he added that temperatures would stay in the mid teens for the vast majority of southern England until Wednesday.

He said: ‘Wet weather continues to spread south and eastwards through Tuesday.

‘Colder weather moving in from Wednesday. A notable drop in temperatures, wintry showers, particularly across the north of the UK and staying chilly into Thursday as well but a little drier.’

Forecaster Alex Deakin said conditions would return to around average for the time of year later this week, Sky News reported.

But he added that the drop could be a ‘shock to the system’ for some after the warm spell.

He said: ‘Temperatures by Wednesday (will be) single digits for many, and that’s the max, so it’s going to get cold at night.

‘Probably the peak of that cold will be on Wednesday night, that’s when the cold plunge really comes in.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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With another drenching of rain possible in parts of British Columbia, crews are working fast to clean up last week’s mudslides – to ensure the next drenching doesn’t impact the infrastructure that supplies water to homes and businesses in Metro Vancouver.

Earlier this week, a mudslide blocked Pipeline Road near Coquitlam, limiting access to the region’s water treatment plant.

“This road’s very important for access to our facility as well as residents that live in the area,” said Brant Arnold-Smith with Metro Vancouver emergency management.

Arnold-Smith said crews are working with those from the City of Coquitlam to provide technical expertise as debris from the mudslide is removed, as another rainstorm is expected on Tuesday.

He said with rocks, mud and wood debris still needing to be removed, they want to ensure water infrastructure, such as pipes from the plant, aren’t accidentally damaged.

“We have a number of water transmission pipes under Pipeline Road that provide drinking water to the region,” Arnold-Smith said. “Public safety is paramount and ensuring that our water infrastructure here is not damaged as debris removal continues is our top priority.”

He said the pipes provide about one-quarter of region’s drinking water.

The work comes the same day the River Forecast Centre announced it had ended its high streamflow advisories for several regions, including Metro Vancouver, the North Shore Mountains, the Fraser Valley and the Sunshine Coast.

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That lifting followed about a week of heavy rain as an atmospheric river settled over the region.

4:48
Fraser Valley Regional District declares state of emergency after days of intense rain

Advisories have also been dropped for the Coldwater, Similkameen and Skagit rivers.

With the lifting of the advisories, so too comes the ending of evacuation alerts for some communities including near the Chilliwack River. The alert for dozens of properties ended on Saturday, though a local state of emergency remains.

“The weather is clear a little bit, but there’s still a bit of a risk,” said Patricia Ross, regional district chair of the Fraser Valley. “We are asking people to stay away from the waterways. There’s a lot of debris coming down the river.”

According to B.C.’s Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, rivers continue to recede from elevated rainfall and snowmelt over the past week.

The ministry said in a notice that ended the advisory for the South Coast that flows in some larger and lake-fed river systems remain elevated, but are expected to ease through the start of the week.

It still urges caution though: “While current high flow hazards have subsided, some precipitation mid-week may cause minor, temporary increases in flows within smaller, responsive streams.”

Ross said crews in the Fraser Valley were out reinforcing vulnerable spots along the river in an effort to help prevent some damage.

“I hardly slept last night because I was worried about what would happen, but so far, the significant works that we’ve put in place along the Chilliwack River Valley, and the Electoral Area E, they count,” she said.

While the advisory has been lifted, the aftermath remains.

In Cultus Lake, a landslide south of the Sunnyside Campground cut off part of the main route, reducing it to a single lane on Saturday. Crews are working to make repairs, but said it is expected to take several days.

Roads near Hope, B.C., were also impacted, with multiple potholes forming along Highway 1 east of Chilliwack, between Bridal Falls and Hope.

Officials caution residents that despite the lifting of the advisory, water in some rivers, like the Chilliwack River, is still moving quickly.

—with files from Global News’ Taya Fast and Pat Bell

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A late winter blast of snow is set to fall over parts of Quebec and Atlantic Canada just two days after the first official day of spring, with the first flakes starting on Sunday.

In Quebec, a total of nearly 10 centimetres of snow will fall on Sunday in parts of the Greater Montreal Area, Monteregie, Drummondville and Estrie.

Environment Canada says residents can expect the snowfall rates of two centimetres per hour at times.

Snowfall amounts of 10 to 15 cm are expected in much of Nova Scotia starting late Sunday afternoon, reaching from the southwestern shore around Digby over to Halifax counties.

The weather system is expected to reach the Halifax Regional Municipality by Sunday evening.

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The heaviest snow is forecast to fall Sunday evening and into Monday morning, with the potential for it to intensify again.

Environment Canada cautions the snow is expected to be wet and heavy as temperatures remain near the freezing mark.

Parts of northern Nova Scotia could see the snow start to move in early Monday morning, reaching Cape Breton by mid-morning. The snow will continue into Tuesday morning.

The weather agency adds that some parts of the Atlantic coast could see snow mix with ice pellets on Monday evening, but it’s uncertain where it will fall.

Even higher amounts of snow could hit Newfoundland on Monday, with yellow winter storm watches in place for the island’s southern, central and northeastern regions. Orange winter storm watches are in place for much of eastern Newfoundland.

The majority of the island is expected to see between 20 to 30 cm and northerly wind gusts of 80 to 100 km/h starting Monday night and continuing into Tuesday.

People are cautioned to be careful on the roads as visibility could be reduced to near zero at times.

Meanwhile, eastern Newfoundland could see between 30 to 50 cm of snow beginning Monday evening until Tuesday night. Wind gusts Tuesday could hit 60 km/h, but rise to between 80 and 100 km/h in the night.

Environment Canada warns the snow will transition to ice pellets and freezing rain to rain on Tuesday as temperatures rise above zero. A second period of poor visibility is possible on Tuesday night due to blowing snow as temperatures fall once again.

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After months of persistent snow, deep freezes and Arctic blasts, many Ontarians are feeling the fatigue of a winter that won’t let go.

According to Global News chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell, it’s not just the cold or snowfall totals that stand out, it’s how long it’s all lasted.

“It’s definitely not your imagination,” Farnell said. “It has been a long go across southern Ontario.”

Snow arrived before Christmas across much of southern Ontario, followed by weeks of persistent lake-effect snowfall through January.

That pattern, combined with multiple deep freezes and freezing rain, kept snow on the ground for months, with little opportunity for a sustained thaw.

“We had that spell of lake effect where it was almost just consistent, day after day,” Farnell said. “Then those cold snaps just solidified whatever was out there.”

In cities like Toronto, this winter is now ranking among their snowiest on record, while others, including London, didn’t break records but still felt the strain of a prolonged season.

Toronto was buried under roughly 80 centimetres of snow over just a few days in late January after a powerful system brought record-breaking totals across the region.

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Environment Canada reported 61 cm fell in downtown Toronto in a day, which is among the highest totals ever recorded in the core, while 46 cm was measured at Toronto Pearson airport, marking its snowiest day on record.

One of the defining features of this winter was the extent of ice coverage across the Great Lakes.

Lake Erie reached about 97 per cent ice coverage at one point, while ice built up across Lake Huron and Georgian Bay before shifting later in the season.

That ice coverage directly influenced snowfall patterns.

“When ice is there, you don’t have the same lake-effect snow,” Farnell explained.

Despite brief stretches of mild weather earlier in March, Farnell says winter isn’t finished.

“There’s still a lot of Arctic air across Northern Canada, so it doesn’t take much for that to make its way south,” he said.

Despite the calendar turning to spring Friday, Farnell says these circumstances will cause winter conditions to linger on a bit longer.

According to the Weather Network, a system is expected to move through the province in the coming days and will bring heavy snow, icy precipitation and hazardous travel conditions.

The Great Lakes winter storm is expected to slam parts of Ontario with strong winds and potentially bury some communities under as much as 50 centimetres of snow, despite the start of spring being just days away.

“We’re going to be fooled at least two or three more times,” Farnell added, noting that a true spring warm-up likely won’t arrive until May.

Looking ahead, Farnell says this winter doesn’t offer a clear signal for spring or summer, with lake temperatures and ice coverage currently near average.

Instead, attention is shifting to a developing El Niño, which could shape weather patterns in the months ahead.

“If it becomes a strong El Niño, you typically see a jet stream farther north … warmer, wetter conditions,” he said.

That could mean a hotter summer, along with more frequent thunderstorms driven by passing cold fronts and lake breezes.

Farnell also points to record-breaking heat already developing in the southwestern United States — an early-season “heat dome” that could expand northward.

“Once it gets hot, it can feed on itself,” he said. “Each day gets a little drier, a little hotter.”

But for now, Ontarians may need to stay patient as winter lingers a little longer.

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An atmospheric river is now expected to stick around until Friday as heavy rain continues to soak B.C.’s South Coast.

“We’ve seen some tremendous amounts of rain up on portions of the Central Coast, up in the river’s inlet area,” Brian Proctor, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said.

“They’ve reported about 279 mm of rain since Sunday evening. And even in the Greater Vancouver area, the North Shore Mountains and up and towards Squamish have seen close to 100 mm of precip to this point in time.”

Environment Canada has maintained rainfall warnings for multiple areas of B.C., including the Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Metro Vancouver and west and inland Vancouver Island.

“It looks like this rain will continue through today,” Jonathan Boyd, a hydrologist at B.C.’s River Forecast Centre, said.

“It might have a little bit of a reprieve on Thursday, maybe in the early hours Thursday, but then another wave rolls through Thursday evening into Friday. So the expectation is the concerning levels will occur late Thursday, Friday, maybe even into Saturday.”

4:39
Atmospheric river increasing avalanche, landslide & flood risks

Proctor said everyone should be cautious around river banks.

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“Debris flows and mudslides will still be an issue for sure,” he said.

“You know, we put 100 mm into some of these basins and they get very, they’re very flashy oftentimes. Some of those creeks move on very, very rapidly. So getting trees coming down, you know, logs coming down, jamming some of those basins can really lead to debris flow problems.”

A flood watch is also in place for the Central Coast, as rain combined with snow and warmer temperatures could see water levels exceed banks quickly.

Sasquatch Mountain Resort in Agassiz decided to shut down Wednesday and Thursday due to concerns over the weather.

Avalanche Canada is advising backcountry users to stay out of avalanche terrain due to elevated risk.

“Regardless of what terrain you’re going into, read the forecast, make sure you understand what’s written in the forecast so you can plan a trip, plan where your terrain choices match the conditions,” Tyson Rettie, an avalanche forecaster with Avalanche Canada, said.

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The latest forecast for southern British Columbia calls for periods of heavy rain into Friday, setting off avalanche risks, flood watches and high streamflow advisories for area waterways.

The warning in a joint statement from B.C.’s Emergency Management Ministry and the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship comes after the first deluge dropped more than 100 millimetres in some areas, including Tofino and Bella Bella, over a 24-hour period.

“People in coastal regions should use caution through the week, as British Columbia will continue to experience a series of atmospheric rivers affecting the Pacific Northwest,” the statement said.

Environment Canada upgraded its rainfall warnings to orange on Tuesday for B.C.’s central coast and the west coast of Vancouver Island, with up to 200 millimetres of rain possible by Wednesday.

The weather agency also issued a statement about a higher risk for localized flooding in the Interior, where the Kootenay region and Highway 1 near Rogers Pass face the possibility of elevated snowmelt as temperatures rise.

The Central Coast Regional District has issued an evacuation alert and order for parts of Martin Valley due to flooding and the risk of a landslide from Mt. Caro Marion.

A state of local emergency was declared Tuesday around 9:30 p.m. under the Emergency and Disaster Management Act, citing significant threats to public safety and the need to control travel and support evacuations.

The alert applies to households along Laneway and Twin Lakes Road, with residents urged to prepare to evacuate or shelter in place as conditions may change with little notice.

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Officials say transportation routes are also affected by an evacuation order east of the Martin River.

This comes as a lower-level rainfall warning is in place for Whistler, Howe Sound, the Fraser Valley and the North Shore of Metro Vancouver, as well as for inland portions of Vancouver Island, with amounts forecast between 60 and 150 millimetres of rain depending on the location.

The highest recorded rainfall Monday was at the Estevan Point weather station off Vancouver Island’s west coast where 142 millimetres was recorded, while Terrace, in northwestern B.C., received 38 centimetres of snow and wind gusts on Sartine Island off Vancouver Island’s northern tip reached 144 kilometres an hour.

Warming conditions combined with heavy mixed rain and snow triggered cautions for high avalanche danger for parts of Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, the Sunshine Coast and much of northwestern B.C., as well as Interior regions along the Rockies.

“Avoid exposure to avalanche terrain as rain continues to soak the snowpack,” says Avalanche Canada’s forecast for inland Vancouver Island.

On Tuesday, the B.C. River Forecast Centre downgraded Northern and Western Vancouver Island from a flood watch to a high streamflow advisory.

“As rainfall rates eased, rivers on northern Vancouver Island have begun to recede,” it said.

The rest of the island, it said, remains on a high streamflow advisory as rain is expected to continue throughout the week.

“Smaller rivers and streams throughout Vancouver Island may respond quickly to intense rainfall and could experience rapid rises during periods of heavy precipitation.”

High streamflow advisories also remain in effect for the North and South Coast as well as for the lower and upper regions of the Fraser River.

But the government statement says high streamflow advisories for the south coastal regions could escalate through the week based on locations of heaviest rainfall.

The forecast centre says the Central Coast, including tributaries and smaller streams around Bella Coola, Rivers Inlet and other coastal communities, remain on flood watch.

The province says areas within the Interior may also see high stream flows later this week “due to the strength of the storm system and increase in temperatures,” referring to a melt of mountain snowpack.

“Advisories may be issued for those areas later in the week,” the statement said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2026.