Cold snap in B.C. shatters 16 temperature records for Dec. 19
A person pulls a child on a sled across a field past snow-covered trees, in Vancouver, on Sunday, December 18, 2022. Temperature are dropping to dangerously cold extremes in some regions of British Columbia as snowfall send tires spinning in parts of Metro Vancouver. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A total of 16 temperature records were broken across British Columbia on Dec. 19, as an artic air mass settled over the province.
Data by environment Canada shows four areas broke records dating back to 1951—Tatlayoko Lake, Smithers, Dease Lake and Bella Coola.
The mercury dipped to -46.8 C in the Puntzi Mountain Area, beating a record set in 2008 by more than six degrees.
Two areas in the Lower Mainland broke decades old records by just over one degree: Hope’s temperature of -14.5 C beats the 2008 low, while Abbotsford’s -11.7 C this year beats the 1990 record.
With freezing temperatures across the province, BC Hydro customers also broke a record for electricity use Monday night.
A preliminary analysis found consumption between 5 and 6 p.m. reached over 10,800 megawatts – the highest ever recorded.
“With more sub-zero temperatures in the coming days, BC Hydro expects demand will remain high and there is the potential to see this latest record fall before the cold snap ends,” Susie Rieder, BC Hydro spokesperson, said in a statement released Tuesday.
She says customers don’t need to be concerned—BC Hydro’s large integrated hydroelectric system will assure demands are met.
To reduce your electricity use, BC Hydro recommends turning down the heat when no one is home or when everyone is sleeping, draftproofing your home and covering windows with blinds or drapes.
The cold snap biting the Lower Mainland arrived with heavy snowfall that’s poised to set more weather records.
Rolf Campbell, the forecaster behind Vancouver Weather Records, posted on Twitter that Tuesday was shaping up to be Vancouver’s snowiest Dec. 20 since records began in 1938.
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