Vancouverites are accustomed to rainy winters, not snow. Growing up here, it was a major event if we saw one snowfall during the course of a winter. If the snow remained on the ground at the end of the same day, that was an even bigger deal.

We’re of course accustomed to snow on the nearby mountains, such as the Lions (above), but not necessarily down in the city.

Last month, though, we west coasters saw Metro Vancouver’s coldest February on record in more than 80 years … and posssibly longer. Records go back only as far as 1937.

As you’ll see from these pictures I took at Kitsilano (Kits) Beach, we also had more snow than usual. In the first two weeks of February alone, the city received more than triple the usual snowfall for the entire month!

In recent years, it’s been typical for snow to fall on two days during the month of February. In 2019, we had 10 days of snow. It was also one of our top 10 snowiest months since records have been kept. The total amount is meagre compared to people in colder climes, but a typical February average at Vancouver International Airport (which is in nearby Richmond) would be 6.3 centimetres. In 2019, 31 centimetres dusted the airport!