The Griz finally decided to show up, and it’s starting to look a lot like winter out there.
The Elk Valley began to see the weather shift to snowy on Friday (Dec. 4) evening, and by Saturday (Dec. 5) morning, about five centimetres of snow had fallen to the ground, according to The Weather Network.
The more standard early-winter conditions came after the Fernie-Sparwood area saw record-breaking heat for five days in a row starting Nov. 28, making it feel more like spring than the beginning of Christmas-and-ski season.
READ MORE: Sparwood breaks high-temperature records several days in a row
As a result of the lack of snow and mild temperatures on those late November and early December days, the Fernie Alpine Resort (FAR) pushed their opening from Dec. 4 to ‘day-by-day’ status.
Matt Mosteller, senior vice president of Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) said at the time that they had “very little to work with” on the mountain, but that they would be “looking to open as soon as possible,” with their sights set on the middle of the week beginning Dec. 6, if conditions permit.
As of 11:15 a.m. on Monday, there had been no update on FAR’s website regarding opening day.
The Dec. 6 snow report, updated at 11:00 a.m. and taken from the Bear Weather Plot at 1615 metres, reported six centimetres of snowfall overnight, seven centimetres in the last 24 hours, and 10 centimetres over the last 48 hours.
The snow was still falling consistently at around 11:15 a.m. Monday, with Environment Canada reporting a few flurries set to end in the afternoon for the Sparwood area.
The Weather Network predicts scattered flurries in Fernie on Tuesday, with two to four centimetres expected. Another five centimetres are expected to fall on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are expected to bring a mix of sun and clouds, with no snow expected Thursday, but two to four centimetres expected Friday.
According to The Weather Network, the upcoming weekend is predicted to bring quite a bit of snow.
Saturday is expected to be -2 degrees with 15 to 20 centimetres falling that day. Another five to 10 centimetres are predicted for Sunday, with temperatures at -5, and on Monday, a light snow of two to four centimetres is predicted, with temperatures at -4.
READ MORE: ‘Very little to work with’: FAR opening day pushed
@fishynewswatch
josh.fischlin@thefreepress.ca
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