A person dressed in a heavy jacket in Vancouver’s cold weather on December 21.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Many parts of central and southern British Columbia were under winter storm warnings. Environment Canada said that the snowfall warnings would be lifted by Christmas Eve.
Special weather warnings were issued for Victoria, Metro Vancouver, and the inner south coast. They advised that rain would turn into snow over the weekend because of an arctic blast that causes temperatures to plummet across the province for the remainder of December.
The south coast was expected to see snow due to the freezing air. Because temperatures are below seasonal, and wind chill is combined, the weather office warns of an increased risk for hypothermia and frostbite.
Northern British Columbia was already experiencing extreme cold. The wind chill in some areas along the Yukon border made it feel as close to -45 C.
Environment Canada warns that wind chill values in the Arctic outflow area, which includes Terrace and Kitimat on the north coast, could drop as low as 30C this weekend. However, temperatures could drop as low as 36C in areas such as Revelstoke and Kelowna from Prince George to Revelstoke by next week.
Already, evacuation alerts have been issued for Smithers due to sub-zero temperatures. An ice jam on the Bulkley river is threatening to flood both sides. Smithers and the Regional district of Bulkley–Nechako are advising affected residents to be ready for an emergency evacuation.
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