BC weather in March
 

I'll be travelling through (mostly) southern BC from March 17 to 31 - my sweetie is on a concert tour and I'm going along for the ride. I'm trying to figure out what to pack, considering that I want to travel as light as possible - we're in a different city almost every day for the two weeks, although there will be three days in Vancouver and three in Victoria. I'll need something dressy to wear to the concerts; jeans will be fine for everything else. Do I need to bring my winter coat along? We'll be in Powell River, Penticton, Kelowna, and Sechelt as well as the two cities I mentioned. Any helpful suggestions will be most welcome - and of course if anybody wants to come and hear a superb choral concert, I can provide details. :)

You're going to need layers. Although March can be a pleasant month, especially in Southern BC, it can also be blustery and wet by the coast and snowy inland. Snow in the coastal area is rare anytime in March and almost unheard of, (other than a light flurry), after mid-March. The liklihood of temperatures above 20C is slim as are real cold temperatures even in the interior. So sweaters for the day and leather or other warm waterproof jackets for the evening are a must. If you are wearing good shoes you might want to pack a pair of waterproof overboots for rain puddles.

Thanks, Gary - that's exactly the sort of help I needed. I don't own waterproof overboots but I do have some spiffy red rainboots that will do nicely. (Might look a little funny with my long concert-going skirt, though.)

In the Okanagan (Penticton and Kelowna) it can still be pretty cold at the end of March. I can think of a few times in the last number of years that we have had snow during spring break. Today though, was a balmy 6 degrees or so. You might want to throw a pair of gloves in with those spiffy red boots.

Thanks, Lynette - I will do that. I'm trying to avoid dragging my winter coat along if I can help it; I've got a warmish spring jacket and a polar fleece pullover that I'm hoping will be adequate. Gloves sound like a smart idea. And apparently I should bring my raincoat.
Less than 3 weeks to departure day and I'm getting quite excited about the trip!