No 'fresh push of Arctic air' but cold weather will continue for B.C., says meteorologist - Action News
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British Columbia

No 'fresh push of Arctic air' but cold weather will continue for B.C., says meteorologist

Weather warnings continue to be in place for most of B.C. thisweekend, as an Arctic air mass hanging over the province is resulting in sub-zero temperatures.

More snow could be coming to South Coast Tuesday night, says Environment Canada meteorologist

A man in a dark-coloured toque and cream-coloured puffer jacket and a woman in a brown-and-white checkered scarf, dark jacket and green toque are seen walking along a seawall, behind them two other people similarly covered up, standing next to a stroller, and the facades of high-rise buildings in the background.
People are pictured during a period of cold weather in Vancouver on Thursday, Jan. 11. Environment Canada has maintained an Arctic outflow warning for B.C.'s South Coast, warning of the risk of hypothermia and frostbite. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Weather warnings continue to be in place for most of B.C. thisweekend, as an Arctic air mass hanging over the province is resulting in sub-zero temperatures.

Extreme cold warnings are in place for the north and Interior. Temperatures of 40 C are expected near Prince George, with wind chill expected to make it feel like45 C in the area,and35 C in the southern Interior.

On the South Coast, Environment Canada has maintained an Arctic outflow warningthat has been in place for days, warning of the risk of hypothermia and frostbite due to wind chill making it feel like 20 C in some areas.

Ross Macdonald, an Environment Canada meteorologist, says temperatures are expected to ease slightly on Saturday and Sunday, though still remain cold.

"We aren't getting any kind of fresh push of Arctic air," he said in a Saturday morning interview.

Cars are lined on a parking lot, surrounded by snow and icy roads, and what looks like a small trail of steam is seen above a one-storey building in the background.
Temperatures in Prince George, B.C., plunged to below -35 C on Friday, Jan. 12. Temperatures of 40 C are expected in the northern B.C. city this weekend, with wind child expected to make it feel like 45 C in the area. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC)

"So, the air mass that's over us will just gradually moderate aswe push through the rest of the weekend and into early next week."

Macdonald says temperatures will tick up a few degrees across the province, and Metro Vancouver will remain below 0 C on Saturday.

The Arctic air hanging over the province is part of a wide swathof winter warnings from coast to coast, with all of Alberta covered by weather warnings Saturday.

Scientists have attributed the plummeting temperatures to a polar vortex, where Arctic air that would normally swirl around the North Pole makes its waysouth, causing freezing conditions.

A woman wearing a parka and a toque stands outside holding her dog, who is wearing a sweater.
A woman carries a dog during a period of cold weather in Vancouver on Friday. Temperatures are expected to moderate slightly this weekend. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Anumber of delayswere reported at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) amid the freezing temperatures, with dozens of arrivals and a number of departures impacted as of 11 a.m. PT Saturday.

CBC News has reached out to YVR for comment. In an earlier statement, a spokesperson said the airport authority would continue to monitor the weather this weekend.

WATCH | Vancouver ponds freeze over:

Vancouverites skate on newly frozen lakes, ponds

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Vancouverites took to local parks and even demolition sites to skate around frozen bodies of water. However, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation says it does not recommend skating on any local ponds or lakes at this time.

In Vancouver, some people were seen ice skating on frozen ponds in multiple parks Saturday, including Trout Lake Park in East Vancouver.

At Vanier Park near False Creek, dozens were skating and playing a game of shinny,or pickup hockey.

"It's like a winter dream come true," said Nick Sedlar, hockey stick in hand. "Today the ice was like glass, it was incredible."

In a statement to CBC, the City of Vancouver says it does not recommend ice skating on any ponds or lakes at this time.

More snow on the horizon

A number of weather records were brokenFriday due to the plummeting temperatures, with areas including Victoria, Kamloops, and Burns Lake in the north seeing new record low temperatures for Jan. 12.

According to Environment Canada,the weather station at the University of Victoria recorded a minimum temperature of 11.6 C, the station at Kamloops recorded26.6 C, and Burns Lake Airport a frosty 40.5 C.

People are seen skating on a frozen pond with the mountains and ocean in the background.
Dozens of Vancouverites enjoyed skating at the frozen pond in Vanier Park Saturday. The City of Vancouver does not recommend skating on any ponds or lakes at this time. (Shawn Foss/CBC)

Macdonald says Abbotsford's minimum temperature was 15.4 C on Friday, with the previous record being 12 C for that date.

"It's not climbing very warm during the day as well, and there's a lot of widespread recordsfor lowest maximum temperatures," he said. "We'll likely see, you know more more of those daily temperature records [Saturday]."

He adds thatan incoming weather system will likely bring snowfall to the South Coast on Tuesday night.

An aerial image of rows of cars stuck on a road flanked by snowy houses.
Cars are seen stuck in traffic on icy roads along East 41st Avenue in Vancouver on Thursday, Jan. 11. (Gian Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

"Just how much [the snowfall] is, we'll have to see how it goes here," he said.

"It's still, I would say, too early to tell, but I would say people should be prepared for some snow coming in late Tuesday, Tuesday night and into early Wednesday."

A person walks past a frozen fountain in front of a large legislature building, with two flags behind them.
The fountain in front of the B.C. Legislature froze over on Friday, as most of the province experiences sub-zero temperatures due to an Arctic air mass. A number of cold weather records were broken on Jan. 12, according to Environment Canada. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)

Sudden snowfall on Thursdaybrought Metro Vancouver traffic to a grinding halt, with buses spun out and people having to push cars up hills.

"For folks heading outside, you know, certainly dress in layers, bundle up, maybe limit your time outside certainly with these cold temperatures," Macdonald said.

With files from The Canadian Press