A mixture of rain and snow beginning Thursday is forecast to make things a little messier around central Vancouver Island, with more flurries expected over the weekend. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

winter arrives

‘Lazy low’ set to bring season’s first snowfall to Nanaimo & Oceanside

Jan 28, 2025 | 4:20 PM

NANAIMO — It appears Mother Nature is taking the approach of ‘better late than never’ to deliver snowfall to central Vancouver Island.

A winter which has largely been devoid of notable precipitation is about to take a turn with flurries and snow in the forecast for Nanaimo and Oceanside, beginning Thursday, Jan. 30.

Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa Erven said an extended stretch of cool, dry weather will make way for a wetter pattern.

“We’ve had cooler than normal temperatures in and around Vancouver Island now for about a week, and as this first system comes through, it is interacting with the already cool air that’s in place and so snow levels are actually going to be fairly low, with the start of the storm system.”

Snowfalls are likely to remain at higher elevations with tricky accumulations forecast for areas of the Malahat and Hwy. 4.

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Mixtures of rain and wet snow could be seen closer to the coast in Nanaimo, Parksville or Qualicum Beach on Thursday.

Forecasters don’t see any real snowfall on the coast until a few days later, after the new, wetter pattern is established via a “lazy low”, according to Erven.

“What’s going to be sort of a lazy low pressure system, parking itself over Vancouver Island Saturday through to about mid next week, and…you’ll have moisture that’s kind of spinning around that system and generating intermittent bursts of precipitation and because it’s going to be quite cold.”

Amounts of accumulation are still not known, but snowfall to sea level is a distinct possibility beginning Saturday, falling off and on into at least early next week.

Preparation is key, according to Erven, with those travelling asked to take extra precautions navigating winter road conditions.

Taking extra time, planning routes and ensuring vehicles are suitable for the terrain are all important steps to ensure safety during snowfalls.

The Nanaimo region typically sees around 20 centimetres of snow in January, with none so far this year.

Just under 170 millimetres of rainfall is also typical, however totals this month are well below average for this time of year.

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