Arctic air brings freezing temperatures to Lower Mainland for another blast of winter

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A burst of arctic air is going to make for a frigid week on the Lower Mainland, with temperatures dropping to potentially -10.

You’ll want to get the mittens and toques out for the teeth-rattlingly chilly conditions, which are expected to stick around for about a week.

“An arctic ridge of high pressure is dropping down across Alberta and it continues to slump to the south and back to the east,” Meteorologist Michael Kuss says. “It’s going to push that arctic cold front all the way west of Vancouver Island and that means temperatures dropping well below seasonal. In fact, we could see some record lows by Thursday and Friday this week.”

A special weather statement has been issued for Metro Vancouver, warning of the coldest conditions the region has seen so far this winter.

“Now the upside is there’s not a lot of precipitation when we get that arctic air pushing out over the Pacific because most of the weather makers stay out over the water,” adds Michael.

“If you’re wondering how cold, well, by Thursday and Friday the morning low is down around -9, potentially -10 degrees. If we get down to even -8 degrees on Thursday, it will break the 1948 record low for Vancouver at YVR at -6.7,” he notes.

While some parts of Metro Vancouver have seen a snowflake or two, it’s the areas farther east into the Fraser Valley which are expected to see some flurries. Snow is, however, expected to ease later in the day.

And if you’re looking to complain about the cold with relatives across the country, you may want to think twice.

It was -24 degrees in Winnipeg at one point Monday morning. And with the windchill, it’s apparently been feeling like -40 degree conditions in Edmonton.

Listen live for weather updates every 10 minutes after traffic on the ones. You can also follow Meteorologist Michael Kuss and weather specialist Michelle Yi on Twitter or subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.