Surrey · British Columbia · 2026–27 season
Snow Day Predictor SurreyWill school be cancelled tomorrow in Surrey?
Live overnight forecast for the City of Surrey, including Cloverdale, Newton, Guildford, Fleetwood, Whalley, and South Surrey. The predictor tunes to Surrey SD #36 closure patterns, with neighbouring Delta SD #37 and Langley SD #35 bus cancellation probability returned where relevant.
Multi-model forecast, five-factor closure engine, province-aware results. No sign-up, no tracking of your queries.
What makes Surrey unique
Surrey School District #36 is the largest school district in British Columbia by enrollment and one of the fastest growing in Canada. Surrey sits slightly inland from the coast, often receiving 1 to 2 cm more snow than Vancouver in the same storm.
Lower Mainland forecast
Surrey snow day forecast, what to expect this winter
Surrey sits in the southwest corner of British Columbia, on the south side of the Fraser River between Delta and Langley, and inland from the Strait of Georgia. That inland position matters more than it sounds. While the City of Vancouver, just across the Burrard Inlet, gets a moderating breath off the Pacific, Surrey lies directly in the path of arctic outflow air that funnels down the Fraser Valley from the Interior. The result is that Surrey is regularly 1 to 2 °C colder than Vancouver on the same morning, and when a Pacific storm hits a marginal freezing level, Surrey gets snow where downtown Vancouver gets cold rain. In a normal winter the city sees 30 to 50 cm of snowfall across three or four events; in an arctic outflow winter, that total can double in a single week.
School operations across the city are run by the Surrey School District (SD #36), which is the largest school district in British Columbia and one of the fastest growing in Canada with over 78,000 students. SD #36 covers Surrey and White Rock and operates more than 130 schools, from Crescent Beach in the south to Port Kells in the northeast. The district contracts its own school bus operators rather than joining a consortium, so its weather decisions are made independently of neighbouring Delta SD #37 and Langley SD #35, though the three districts often arrive at the same call within an hour of each other. The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (SD #93) also serves francophone families across Surrey through Ecole Gabrielle-Roy and makes its own separate weather decisions.
For most Surrey families, the practical question on a winter morning is not "will the schools be open" but "will buses run, and are the side streets safe?" Surrey SD #36 has two distinct decision points: a full closure of schools (rare, reserved for arctic outflow events and major snowfalls) and a bus cancellation with schools remaining open (more common, especially in Cloverdale and South Surrey where routes climb the elevation rise toward the US border). Our forecast returns both probabilities separately, so families on a bus route in Cloverdale or Newton see different numbers than families walking to school in Whalley or Guildford.
School boards
Surrey school boards we model
The boards and transportation operators that make the morning closure call for Surrey.
- Surrey School District (SD #36)
The largest school district in British Columbia with over 78,000 students across more than 130 schools in Surrey and White Rock. Makes its own weather call by 6:00 am, independent of neighbouring districts.
- Delta School District (SD #37)
Immediately west of Surrey, serving North Delta, Ladner, and Tsawwassen. Often closes in tandem with Surrey on Fraser Valley arctic outflow days, though Tsawwassen sometimes stays open when the coast warms.
- Langley School District (SD #35)
Immediately east of Surrey, serving the Township and City of Langley. Frequently follows Surrey within the same morning hour, especially on snowfall events moving up the Fraser Valley.
- Conseil scolaire francophone (SD #93)
French-language public school board serving all of British Columbia, including Ecole Gabrielle-Roy in Surrey. Operates separate transportation and makes independent closure decisions.
Bus transportation
Surrey School District #36 contracts its own bus operators and does not participate in a consortium with neighbouring districts. The district makes its own weather call by 6:00 am, with the announcement posted to the SD #36 website, its social channels, and major Lower Mainland radio stations. Delta SD #37 and Langley SD #35 run their own separate decisions, though in practice all three districts often arrive at the same call within the same hour on major Lower Mainland storms.
Local weather
Surrey’s signature winter weather patterns
The phenomena that produce most Surrey snow days.
- Pacific atmospheric river events
Pacific atmospheric rivers deliver the bulk of Lower Mainland precipitation each winter, usually as rain at the coast. When the freezing level drops below 300 metres during one of these events, Surrey often sees heavy wet snow while Vancouver sees rain, the result of Surrey being slightly inland and cooler.
- Fraser Valley arctic outflow
Arctic outflow funnels cold continental air through the Fraser Valley from the Interior toward the coast. Surrey sits directly in this path, which is why the city is regularly several degrees colder than Vancouver on the same morning. Outflow events also produce strong east winds in Cloverdale and South Surrey, raising wind chill into the closure range.
- Elevation-driven snow vs rain transitions
Surrey ranges from sea level at Crescent Beach to over 150 metres in Panorama Ridge and the South Surrey uplands. On marginal-temperature storms, the higher neighbourhoods see snow while the lowlands see rain, producing very different conditions across a single school district.
- Cold-air pooling in Cloverdale and Newton lowlands
On clear nights following an outflow event, cold air drains into the Cloverdale and Newton lowlands and pools there overnight. Overnight lows in those neighbourhoods can be 3 to 5 °C colder than the higher South Surrey ridges, freezing slush on roads that looked passable the evening before.
- Freezing rain at the transition elevation
When warm Pacific air overruns a cold outflow layer, the transition band of freezing rain often sets up directly over Surrey. The combination of an icy road surface and Surrey’s steep school bus routes through North Surrey and Cloverdale is what drives most of the district’s mid-winter bus cancellations.
History
Notable Surrey snow days in recent winters
Storms and ice events that shaped how Surrey school boards approach the morning call.
Surrey overnight snowstorm
January 6-7, 2020A Pacific low combined with an outflow event dropped roughly 30 cm of snow on Surrey overnight. Surrey SD #36 closed all schools the following morning, one of the few full district closures of the recent decade. Crews struggled to clear bus routes in Cloverdale and South Surrey, and several routes remained suspended the day after the event.
Lower Mainland snowstorm
December 17-20, 2008A multi-day snowfall event blanketed the Lower Mainland in the lead-up to Christmas, with Surrey accumulating well over 40 cm across four days. Surrey, Delta, and Langley districts all closed schools or cancelled buses on overlapping days. The 2008 event is still referenced locally as the benchmark Lower Mainland December storm.
November Lower Mainland snow event
November 14, 2022An unusually early-season Pacific storm dropped 10 to 15 cm of snow across Surrey overnight. Surrey SD #36 cancelled buses district-wide while keeping schools open, the textbook Surrey outcome when the snowfall falls just below the closure threshold. Delta SD #37 and Langley SD #35 followed within the same morning.
Coastal BC arctic outflow
December 18-23, 2022A prolonged arctic outflow event drove overnight lows below −15 °C across Surrey for nearly a week, with snowfall on top. Wind chills in Cloverdale and South Surrey reached the bus-cancellation threshold on multiple mornings. Surrey SD #36 cancelled buses several times and closed schools at the height of the event.
Surrey-area snowstorm
December 9-10, 2017A coastal low tracked just inland and produced 15 to 20 cm of snow specifically over Surrey and Langley, with notably less accumulation in Vancouver and Richmond. Surrey SD #36 cancelled buses while several Vancouver-area districts kept full operations, a clear illustration of why Surrey families cannot rely on a Vancouver forecast.
February Fraser Valley snow event
February 11-13, 2019A series of frontal passages dropped accumulating snow on Surrey and the Fraser Valley over three days. Surrey SD #36 cancelled buses on two of the three mornings and closed schools entirely on the heaviest day. South Surrey and Cloverdale recorded the highest totals in the district.
FAQ
Surrey snow day frequently asked questions
The 7 questions Surrey parents and teachers ask us most.
Will Surrey SD #36 close tomorrow?
Type your Surrey postal code or "Surrey, British Columbia" into the predictor above. Surrey School District #36 announces full school closures by 6:00 am the morning of, through the SD #36 website, social channels, and Lower Mainland radio. A full closure is rare and is usually reserved for arctic outflow events or major snowfalls of 20 cm or more. Our forecast returns the closure probability and the separate bus cancellation probability the night before, so you can plan.
Why is Surrey often colder than Vancouver?
Surrey sits slightly inland from the Strait of Georgia and directly in the path of Fraser Valley arctic outflow air that funnels down from the Interior. Vancouver, on the coast, gets a moderating breath off the Pacific that Surrey does not. The result is that on a typical winter morning Surrey is 1 to 2 °C colder than downtown Vancouver, and on outflow days the gap widens to 3 to 5 °C. That gap is exactly enough to turn a Vancouver rain event into a Surrey snow event.
How does the Fraser Valley arctic outflow affect Surrey?
Arctic outflow is a wind pattern that drives cold continental air from the Interior of British Columbia down through the Fraser Valley toward the coast. Surrey sits directly along that path, so it gets both the coldest temperatures and the strongest east winds in the Lower Mainland on outflow days. The combination of cold air and gusty winds raises wind chill into the school closure range in Cloverdale and South Surrey, and is the most common driver of Surrey SD #36 full closures.
Will school be cancelled in Cloverdale or Newton tomorrow?
Cloverdale and Newton are both inside Surrey School District #36, so a district-wide closure or bus cancellation applies to both neighbourhoods equally. That said, both areas sit in low-elevation pockets where cold air pools overnight, and bus routes through Cloverdale climb noticeably toward the US border. Buses in these neighbourhoods cancel slightly more often than in central Whalley or Guildford. Enter your specific postal code in the predictor above to get the local forecast.
Does Delta SD #37 always close with Surrey?
Not always, but often. Delta SD #37 covers North Delta, Ladner, and Tsawwassen, and makes its own independent closure call. On major Fraser Valley snow or outflow events, Delta usually follows Surrey within the same morning hour. On marginal storms, however, Tsawwassen and Ladner sit closer to the moderating effect of the Strait of Georgia and sometimes stay open when Surrey closes, especially when the snowfall is concentrated in eastern Surrey and Langley.
How is Surrey snow different from Burnaby or Vancouver?
Surrey tends to get 1 to 2 cm more snow than Vancouver in the same storm, and stays below freezing longer afterward. Burnaby sits between the two, both geographically and in snowfall totals. The most important practical difference is that Surrey gets snow on marginal-temperature storms that fall as cold rain in Vancouver, so a Vancouver forecast that says "rain changing to snow" often translates to "snow all day" in Surrey. This is why families on the Surrey side of the Fraser cannot rely on a Vancouver weather report.
What is the largest school district in British Columbia?
Surrey School District #36 is the largest school district in British Columbia by enrollment, with over 78,000 students across more than 130 schools. It is also one of the fastest growing districts in Canada, adding roughly 1,000 students per year through population growth in South Surrey, Clayton, and Grandview Heights. The size of the district is one reason its closure decisions are watched closely across the Lower Mainland.
Near Surrey
Nearby British Columbia cities
Other British Columbia cities our forecast covers — same regional profile, different local weather.
Looking for forecasts across the rest of British Columbia? View the British Columbia hub with all school boards, transportation consortia, weather zones, and a full city directory. Or browse the provinces & territories hub for every Canadian region.
Also in British Columbia: Victoria · Kelowna · Kamloops · Prince George · Nanaimo
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