Temperatures plummet across B.C., with province in the grip of Arctic air

Most of British Columbia is experiencing extreme cold Friday as Arctic air blows across the province, with the cold weather expected to continue for much of the weekend.

Environment Canada has issued nearly two dozen extreme cold warnings across the province and says frostbite and hypothermia can occur within minutes if adequate precautions are not taken when outdoors.

B.C. Emergency Health Services says it has responded to a number of calls for hypothermia and frostbite across the province over the last week, including 13 on Thursday. 

Temperatures dropped lower than –45 C in some areas Friday and dipped to –12 C in Vancouver, with the wind making it feel like –23 C in the early morning.

The temperature in Victoria sank to –10 C, with wind chill making it feel like –20 C. 

No part of the province is expected to climb above freezing on Friday, with the warmest spot forecast to be Tofino Airport at –2.5 C, according to Environment Canada.

WATCH | Prince George residents give their thoughts about the cold: 

Frozen hands, many layers: Extreme cold not stopping winter walkers in northern B.C.

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After an unseasonably warm December, a blast of cold air has hit northern B.C. with temperatures forecast as low as -50 C in some locations. In Prince George, icy wind making it feel like -30 C has people bundled up but still braving the cold.

The weather agency said the coldest spot in B.C. on Friday morning was the Puntzi Mountain airport, around 320 kilometres north of Vancouver in the Cariboo region, where a low of –48.1 C was recorded.

Other extreme cold spots included:

• –42 C in Fort Nelson
• –40 C in Dawson Creek and Burns Lake
• –39 C in Prince George
• –38 C in Yoho National Park

The weather office says the risks associated with the extreme cold are greater for children, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, those working or exercising outdoors, and people who don't have proper shelter.

The cold weather is expected to continue in B.C. for much of the weekend, with temperatures only rising to –6 C in Vancouver on Saturday. In many regions of the province bright sunshine is expected to accompany the cold temperatures.

The Arctic weather extends across most of Western Canada, with extreme cold warnings also in effect for all of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and large parts of Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba.

Impact on workers

Several ski hills across the province have closed as a result of the cold temperatures. 

On Thursday two skiers suffering from hypothermia were rescued by helicopter near Whistler after they became lost in the Fitzsimmons Creek area, North Shore Rescue (NSR) said. Crews said the skiers and are lucky to be alive and would not have survived the night, as the wind combined with the biting cold made temperatures feel around –50 C.

WorkSafeBC has highlighted its occupational health and safety conditions for keeping workers safe during spells of weather that could be harmful.

Lee Loftus, former president of B.C. Building Trades and manager of the B.C. Insulators Union, says the cold snap is particularly hard on construction workers.

"It's brutal. The wind's blowing, it's cold, everything you touch is cold," he said Friday. "It is one of the worst days you want to be out."

The cold has also led Canada Post to issue a red service alert for Prince George, which means it has suspended delivery for the day there. It has also issued a yellow service alert for the wider Interior area, meaning there might be some delays with delivery.

"The safety of our employees is our No. 1 priority," Canada Post said in a release, and directed people to its service alerts page for updates.

B.C. Housing has a tool on its website to find shelters, including for extreme weather, across the province.

Commuter chaos

Dropping temperatures combined with blowing snow on Thursday evening resulted in numerous crashes and collisions and difficult road conditions in the Lower Mainland. 

Firefighters in Vancouver said its rescue service responded to around 30 vehicles that had crashed as a result of the slippery roads.

As of Friday afternoon, many main routes had been cleared, but less busy streets still remained icy and slippery.

At Vancouver International Airport (YVR), lists of arriving and departing flights showed numerous delays and some cancellations on Friday. YVR has asked travellers to plan extra time in getting to the airport and check the status of flights.

B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is reminding motorists to drive for conditions and to watch for amber flashing lights where maintenance vehicles are working. Up to date information on road conditions can be found on DriveBC.ca.

Preparation frustration

Cities around the province have detailed this week how they were preparing for the cold by salting roads and opening emergency weather shelters.

Being prepared for and dealing with winter conditions is an ongoing challenge in the Lower Mainland because cities have limited budgets for dealing with snow, there is shared jurisdiction over roadways, and the majority of drivers do not have winter tires.

Daniel Fontaine, a city councillor in New Westminster, said on Thursday he was surprised how much havoc mere centimetres of snow caused the region.

"How that can utterly shut down the transportation network in Canada's third-largest metropolitan area is still baffling to me," he said.

WATCH | Vancouver bus gets stuck:

Vancouver bus stuck on sidewalk as snow hits Lower Mainland

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The back half of a bus was spotted stuck on a sidewalk on Jan. 11 as snow hit the Lower Mainland, causing delays for commuters.

In December 2022, following 20 centimetres of snow and harrowing stories of commuters trapped on bridges overnight, Fontaine and Surrey Coun. Linda Annis called for a "snow summit" meeting with the province and regional officials to discuss how to better respond to snow events, but it never happened.

"We heard that there was absolutely no interest in doing this and the area of snow removal very much falls within local municipalities," he said.

• CBC's Justin McElroy explains how budgets, bridges and tires are behind Metro Vancouver's struggle with snow

Fontaine is concerned chaos on the roads from snow and ice will continue to happen as severe weather events increase due to climate change.