Drivers warned as temperatures set to plummet from Vancouver to Yukon

SURREY, BC — British Columbia is warning motorists to prepare winter survival kits as a blast of freezing cold hits next week and mercury plummets across the province.

Temperatures over the next week are expected to be five to ten degrees Celsius below normal for the south coast and Haida Gwaii, and 10 to 20 degrees below normal for the interior and north.

In parts of the North and Yukon, daily highs are expected to stay below -30C through Wednesday.

BC’s Department of Emergency Management and Climate Preparedness says in a statement local warming centers could open to protect vulnerable populations and emergency shelters are also available for people who need a warm, safe place.

Riders are asked to check the weather forecast and prepare by having a full tank of fuel and packing a winter survival kit with a snow brush, flashlights and first aid supplies.

“Drivers are reminded to plan ahead and drive according to weather and road conditions. Commuters should be prepared for delays and potential service disruptions on transit routes,” the statement said.

It says provincial roads will be salted and if weather conditions worsen drivers should stay off the road.

Vancouver is expecting a combination of rain and snow over the weekend and through much of next week, with a daily maximum of -5°C on Tuesday.

Environment Canada says nearly two inches of snow is possible over Metro Vancouver over the weekend.

A larger dump of up to 25cm covered the south coast and Vancouver Island in late November, causing traffic accidents, blocking major thoroughfares and cutting power to nearly 100,000 BC Hydro customers, and causing a plane to skid off a runway at the international airport from Vancouver.

Surrey Councilwoman Linda Annis was one of those caught in the November 29 blockade. She says it took her nine and a half hours to get from Vancouver to South Surrey.

“(It’s been a) very, very long, frustrating journey. And for me, I quickly realized that I had no way of getting home. All access points to cross the Fraser River were closed or full of vehicles,” she said.

Annis and New Westminster Councilor Daniel Fontaine are calling for a ‘snow peak’ to find ways to avoid a repeat. They want to involve the province, Metro Vancouver, municipalities, first responders and road maintenance companies.

Annis said there needs to be a unified approach to snow that includes better communication with the public and possibly snow driving clinics operated by the Insurance Corporation of BC

“Because we’re clearly not very good at it in Vancouver. And you know, we don’t get it often enough to really experience it,” she said.

Annis and Fontaine wrote to Transportation and Infrastructure Secretary Rob Fleming and the Metro Vancouver regional district chair last week to pitch the idea, but have yet to receive a response.

The Department for Transport and Infrastructure says in a statement it is aware of the application, but neither it nor Fleming have been formally invited to participate.

The ministry says it has reviewed its response to the November snowfall and is working with Lower Mainland contractors to improve use of plows and tow trucks.

“Ministry officials have also already reached out to their counterparts in lower mainland communities to discuss the response to the winter weather, strengthen communication lines and share information on our level of preparedness based on available weather forecasts,” it said.

Environment Canada, meanwhile, says in a special weather statement for the Yukon and northern BC that arctic air will be accompanied by gusty northerly winds and the risk of bitterly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chill levels.

The statement applies to communities across BC, including Atlin, Dease Lake and Fort Nelson, where a maximum temperature of -31C is forecast through Wednesday.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on December 16, 2022.

The Canadian Press