Metro Vancouverites will experience a blast of cold Arctic air heading into the weekend but it won't feel as extreme as in previous years.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Brian Proctor warns temperatures should drop several degrees below seasonal averages as Arctic air in the B.C. Interior makes its way down into the Lower Mainland.
Temperatures should range close to seasonal from Tuesday, Jan. 14 through the end of the week, with highs ranging between 6 C to 7 C and lows near freezing. Wednesday's overnight forecast also includes a 30 per cent chance of showers.
Arctic air will "leak" into the Lower Mainland from the B.C. Interior starting sometime on the weekend, bringing daytime highs just above freezing and overnight lows as low as -4 C and -5 C.
"We have been in a warm period and are seeing a subtle change in flow pattern," he tells V.I.A. "The Arctic air in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories is sliding south."
Proctor says the cold air will continue to seep out of the interior heading into next week but it won't be "very strong."
"There will be a minor recovery for the next work week but the cold air mass will stall...it won't be a sudden warm-up," he cautions.
Metro Vancouver weather forecast includes subzero temperatures
Locals shouldn't brace for the bone-chilling cold experienced in January 2024, when overnight lows dropped to -12 C and 60 km/h winds made temperatures feel as cold as -20 C.
When Environment Canada issues an Arctic outflow warning for the south B.C. coast, the wind chill factor must be measured at -20 C or colder. In this cold weather event, the Arctic air is not funnelling through the Howe Sound directly into the Lower Mainland. Instead, it is contained to the B.C. Interior and filters down into the region, preventing temperatures from reaching extreme cold. In the interior, temperatures are dropping as low as -15 C to -20 C, Proctor explains.
The national weather agency expects a weak La Niña could contribute to near-normal or just-below-normal temperatures in February.
Proctor reminds locals to stay vigilant even though they aren't facing a "real big cold" event.
"It's going to be a big shock for people. Be prepared for cooler temperatures and frost in the mornings [that] can make conditions slippery."
Stay up-to-date with hyperlocal forecasts across 50 neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland with V.I.A.'s Weatherhood.
