A white Christmas is so rare in Vancouver that in the last thirty years, we’ve only experienced it on four occasions.
The last time this occurred was when the majority of Metro Vancouver woke up to snow on Christmas in 2021. Although it’s not uncommon to see snow in December, it usually disappears before all too long, thanks to the rain.
This year however, it feels like we’ve had a warmer than usual December, with only one recorded snowfall in parts of Metro Vancouver on December 9th, that quicky faded away. There is still a chance we’d get a white Christmas, but at this point it looks unlikely.
Here’s a look back at the last time Vancouver had a white Christmas.
RELATED: The Last Time The Fraser River Froze Over
Vancouver White Christmas History
The last time Vancouver had a white Christmas was in 2021, however that was only a light storm that did not hit all parts of Metro Vancouver.
It was still a beautiful sight though as a white layer of snow blanketed over the city.
Before that, the last time there was a white Christmas was fifteen years ago in 2008. It was cold one, when a series of snowstorms broke 44-year-old records for the snowiest Christmas ever in the Lower Mainland.
That year, across Canada and many parts of America, record snowstorms have hit cities on Christmas Day, including Vancouver.
The monthly snowfall in December 2008 was nearly 109 cm in total when all was said and done. That white Christmas Vancouver, also happened to be the whitest Christmas in recent memory as it shattered records.
Prior to that, Vancouver has only experienced a white Christmas two more times. In 1996 and 1998.
Most notably, the snow storm in 1996 drew over 100 cm of snow and was labeled the ‘storm of the century’ in Vancouver and Victoria where everything was forcefully shut down as a result.
Outside of Vancouver, cities in metro Vancouver, especially in areas with higher elevation like North Vancouver and Burnaby Mountain, also became reacquainted with snowmageddon.
According Environment Canada, Prince George is the only city in B.C. that has seen a white Christmas almost every year since 1955.