The B.C. government issued a flood watch for parts of the province's south coast after the snow that caused traffic chaos over the weekend turned to rain late Sunday afternoon.

Traffic has been slow on Vancouver streets this past weekend because of slippery road conditions due to heavy snow.
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Environment Canada is forecasting up to 25 millimetres of rain Sunday night and up to 50 millimetres of rain with a high of 11 C in Vancouver on Monday. Rain is also expected Tuesday with a high of 10 C.

Environment Minister Barry Penner said significant snow melt combined with predicted heavy rainfall will strain the rivers along the south coast.

"Right now, it does look like that forecast from a few days ago is holding and the storm track is pointing right at the south coast. So it looks like we're in for a major Pineapple Express," Penner said Sunday.

Fender benders due to the snow have kept emergency crews in the Lower Mainland busy over the weekend.
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The flood watch covers the area of Howe Sound, Greater Vancouver, the Lower Fraser Valley and south and central Vancouver Island.

"[There's] heavy rain on Monday and Tuesday with rising freezing levels so we'll have heavy rain on top of melting snow — potentially some flooding in the creeks and streams around the south coast of B.C.," Environmental Canada meteorologist David Jones said Saturday.

It's a "triple threat" that is causing the weekend weather conditions of snow, then snow changing to rain and more heavy rain in the forecast, Jones said.

Lower Mainland's emergency crews responded to a flurry of fender benders on Saturday and Sunday, mostly a result of spinning tires.

Some people braved the chilly temperatures and enjoyed a jog in the snow with their pets.
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For some people who didn't have to drive on the roads, it was a chance to bundle up to have fun outside.

"I love it. I love it. I love it," said a Vancouver resident who declined to be named. "I lived back east for a long time and I love it. And this is her [the woman's dog] first snow, so she's loving it too."

Meanwhile, the Canadian Avalanche Centre is warning skiers and snowshoers to be cautious, because heavy wet snow that falls on top of a lighter, cold base means the risk for avalanches is high.

"There's a bunch of snow coming. It's going to be coming with wind and warm temperatures so we have an unstable situation developing," Ilya Storm, an avalanche forecaster with the centre, told CBC News Friday.

"What people need to realize this weekend is that natural avalanches are going to start running spontaneously. You want to stay off steep slopes and stay out from below them," Storm said.

With files from the Canadian Press