White Christmas, bitter cold, some dangerous weather conditions ahead for B.C.

Those who wished for a white Christmas are getting that with an arctic blast.

Environment Canada has issued an arctic outflow warning for this weekend due to unseasonably cold temperatures on the way for Metro Vancouver.

The warning starts Friday and will last until Wednesday. The unseasonably low temperatures could drop to as low as minus 14.

Doug Lundquist is a meteorologist at Environment Canada. He says, “It’s really going to get worse and deepen on Christmas … by the end of the day.”

“Really howling outflow winds from like Hope to through the southern part of the city, sometimes Tsawwassen and that area can really get strong winds, Howe Sound, some of the inlets,” he added. “So we’re really worried about drifting snow, blowing snow.”

These expected temperatures could lead to breaking records for cold weather.

Weather Alerts c/o @ECCCWeatherBC #BritishColumbia: Extreme Cold [with windchill -40C] & Arctic Outflow Event, + snowfall for the Kootenays overnight, with a special order of snow for Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast for Christmas Day. https://t.co/9ChPYmT7DK pic.twitter.com/MFXubLTH9l

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) December 25, 2021

The province has been pleading with people not to travel unless they have to with a Winter Storm Warning and snowfall warnings outside of Metro Vancouver.

The forecast predicts the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt, which recently reopened to commercial traffic, could see up to 60 centimetres of snow.

Thirty to 55 centimetres is also expected along higher-elevation stretches of Highway 3 between Hope and Merritt.

You are also being reminded to make sure you’re bundling up and to check in with vulnerable people in your life.

Read More:

• B.C. seniors’ advocate warns of risks to older people during extreme winter weather

• Warming centres open to protect homeless through Vancouver cold snap

Earlier this week B.C.’s seniors’ advocate Isobel Mackenzie said the risks posed to seniors by extreme cold and snow are very different than those posed by extreme heat. While seniors became sick and died in their homes during the summer’s heatdome, the danger that comes with cold is outside.

“In the heatwave, actually, we wanted people to go out. We wanted them to leave their overheated apartments and go to cooling centres. In the cold snap, we want people to stay inside where it’s warm. We don’t want them to go outside for two reasons. It’s cold and it’s slippery,” she says.

According to Mackenzie, checking in with loved ones or neighbours to ensure they have food, medication, and other essentials is key to helping them avoid walking on icy sidewalks or driving on treacherous roads.

– With files from Rebecca Johnstone and Lisa Steacy