Unseasonably Warm Weather Brings Quiet Winter in Vancouver Mountains

Although it’s February, the mountains surrounding Vancouver are experiencing conditions more typical of spring than winter, according to Doug Pope of North Shore Rescue.

Pope, the search manager for the organization, said Thursday that the season has been unusually quiet, with almost no snow cover on the slopes. “Normally, this time of year we’d be responding to skiers and snowboarders caught in avalanche-prone gullies, or hikers and snowshoers slipping in hazardous terrain. This season, those types of calls have been rare,” he noted.

Much of British Columbia is seeing unseasonably high temperatures due to a persistent high-pressure ridge. Environment Canada reported that Bella Bella, 650 km northwest of Vancouver, recorded 19.5°C this week—shattering the previous February temperature record by over three degrees.

The unusual warmth has not only reduced rescue activity in the mountains but also highlights the broader trend of changing winter patterns in the region.