Debunking this big B.C. winter weather myth
Winter-wary British Columbians are accustomed to keeping an eye on the freezing level – the supposed altitude where a system's moisture falls as snow rather than rain.
It sounds simple enough, but the truth is that there's a lot about the freezing level that's not as intuitive as people think.
For one thing, it can vary enormously from corner-to-corner in the province. A freezing level of 2200 metres near the South Coast could dwindle to just 700 metres in the far distant southern Interior near the Alberta border, and even lower than that in the north.
It can be deceptive as well: Moisture can still precipitate as snow even two or three hundred metres below the "official" freezing level.
We asked our B.C. expert Tyler Hamilton to explain the science behind these peculiarities. Watch his explanation in the video above.
