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Snow coming Thursday ahead of messy weekend weather

Richmond saw its first significant snowfall in nearly three years on Monday
Steveston snow
A dog frolics in the snow in Steveston. Feb.25, 2016.

It took 1,014 days for Richmond children to be granted the privilege of building a snowman, after the city received 5.4 centimetres of snow Monday — the first significant snowfall since Feb. 24, 2014.

Meanwhile, after basking in sunny, sub-zero weather the past two days, more snow can be expected Thursday, according to GlobalBC meteorologist Mark Madryga.

Enviornment Canada is calling for snow late Thursday and into Friday morning. No snowfall warning has been issued, as of Wednesday night.

While the white blanket dazzled park-goers and dyke-walkers, it snarled traffic heading in and out of Richmond; no delays were reported on the Canada Line.

City of Richmond crews dusted off their plows for the 10 dump trucks and five pick-up trucks they have handy to clear the main roads. Prior to the snowfall, city crews had been busy applying brine to streets by dipping into its 960-tonne salt reserve.

According to city policy, with the main roads cleared, crews should be in the midst of clearing and salting minor, connecting roads within neighbourhoods.

In Richmond, a bylaw stipulates that businesses and townhouse complexes and condominiums are to remove snow from their public sidewalks by 10 a.m. each day snow accumulates.

Of course, the city encourages homeowners to clear the sidewalks in front of their houses as part of the city’s Good Neighbour Program.

No shovels were needed last winter, when just one centimetre of snow was recorded on Jan. 5 at Vancouver International Airport.

Richmondites could be in for a messy weekend as temperatures hover at zero degrees Celsius and more precipitation is expected. Environment Canada is expecting snow during the nights and a mix of rain and snow during the days. Lower elevations, such as Richmond, may expect less snow and more rain if the temperature predictions hold steady.

December is the month when Richmond sees the most snow. Typically, about 14 centimetres of snow falls on the city during this month. The most extreme snowfall on record came Dec. 29, 1996 when 41 centimetres fell. December is also the coldest month, on average, with a daily maximum temperature of 6.3 degrees Celsius and a daily minimum of 0.8. A significant snowfall is five or more centimetres of snow acumulation.

This week’s frigid temperatures prompted the opening of the 20-bed extreme weather shelter at St. Alban Anglican Church.