Get ready for a Christmas cold snap.
Just in time for the holiday season, a deep freeze is going to settle over the region, according to Environment Canada.
"The Arctic air is going to really start plunging down into the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, pushing across the Central Interior," Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor said Tuesday. "So we're gonna turn you cold and make you kind of bitter."
As of Tuesday morning, the seven-day forecast is calling for daytime highs below -20 starting Friday and dipping down as low as -27 on Monday. Proctor said it looks like it might last right through to the New Year.
"I don't see a lot of warming in that (weekend) period," Proctor said. "I really want to see the westerlies start to break through and it's just not indicating that's what's going to happen."
On the bright side, a clear sky will accompany the pattern.
Meanwhile, a snowfall warning for the region remains in place. Issued Monday by Environment Canada, it says as much as 20 centimetres of the white stuff will have fallen by Wednesday morning.
The trend of heavy snow followed by extreme cold is common, Proctor agreed.
"We've got a flow aloft out of the Gulf of Alaska and when that happens, the flow sort of retrogrades further west. That allows that cold air that we always hope will stay east of the Rockies to plunge across the Central Interior and that's setting up, unfortunately," he said.
Night time lows should drop into the -35 C range.
If the pattern comes to pass, staying inside may be the order of the day and, if you are outside, take precautions.
According to Emergency Management BC, that includes dressing in layers, with a wind- and water-resistant outer layer and to cover as much exposed skin as possible by wearing hats, scarves and gloves to avoid frostbite. Try to stay dry and change out of wet clothing as soon as possible.
People who take to the road should bring warm clothing that does not restrict movement when driving and ensure their vehicles are equipped with a full tank of fuel, a windshield scraper and snow brush, food and water, a first-aid kit and other emergency supplies.
If stuck or stranded, people should stay in their vehicles and call 911 for roadside assistance.
Households should also be prepared for power outages by developing a household emergency plan and putting together an emergency kit. Further advice on how to do that can be found at bchydro.com/getprepared.
And if you come across a downed or damaged power line, assume it is live and a danger. Stay back at least 10 metres (the length of a bus) and call 911 immediately to report.
For those with no place to go, emergency shelters are available according to EMBC. Across B.C. about 1,900 temporary shelter spaces and nearly 360 extreme-weather response shelter spaces are in place, in addition to more than 2,250 permanent, year-round shelter spaces.
The extreme weather response shelters are available overnight when a community issues an extreme-weather alert. Environment Canada, in turn, will issue an arctic outflow warnings whenever wind chill values of -20 C or colder for six or more hours are forecast.
