Vancouver activates extreme weather response as overnight temperatures drop

The City of Vancouver has activated additional emergency shelters through Monday night as temperatures drop below zero overnight in the region.

In a social media post on Saturday, the city said it was extending an extreme weather response that was initially only set to last through the night of Jan. 16.

It comes as below normal temperatures are reported in the area, though much of the region hasn't seen precipitation and no weather warnings have been issued — unlike other parts of Canada, which are grappling with temperatures nearly 30 C below normal.

Environment Canada forecasted a maximum temperature of 6 C at Vancouver's airport on Sunday, with a minimum temperature of –2 C overnight.

Lisa Erven, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, told CBC News on Friday that the forecaster was not expecting any record-breaking cold temperatures through early next week.

"It's simply just going to be feel a lot different than it has so far through December and January," she said.

Erven said the winter thus far in B.C. has been dominated by warmer-than-usual temperatures, largely because weather systems from the south have been bringing milder temperatures.

She said the cold temperatures affecting the province right now are around 2 to 4 C below seasonal norms.

Erven added that the province has now officially reached La Niña conditions — referring to a climate phenomenon resulting from the flow of warmer water in the Pacific Ocean that typically brings lower temperatures and higher precipitation.

But the meteorologist said it has been a "fairly sluggish" start to the weather pattern, delaying the onset of colder temperatures.