The sun may be shining but overnight low temperatures over the next several days are expected to drop below freezing.
In the Metro Vancouver area, nighttime temperatures are expected to drop to minus 2 Friday night and could drop to as low as minus 7 by Tuesday.
"It looks like we're getting an arctic outflow coming in for the next seven days or so," said Jesse Mason, CTV British Columbia's meteorologist. "We will break some overnight temperatures, I'm sure, through the valley and in Metro Vancouver."
At the OK Tire shop in Abbotsford Friday, business was booming. People are buying winter tires in record numbers. Business is up about 30 percent over the same time last year.
It's also a busy time for public works departments. In Mission, crews spent the day testing out all their winter equipment.
"Every year's different so what we want is to be prepared for the worst conditions," said Roy Nicholson of Mission Public Works. "All our salt and sand bins are full, ready to go. Equipment has all been preset so we're pretty much ready."
The weather alert comes on the heels of a controversial new law that gives police power to take homeless people to shelters during extreme weather events.
But Vancouver police won't be enforcing the new Assistance to Shelter Act until final regulations are in place, which could be as early next week.
Const. Jana McGuinness said until that happens, officers will just ask homeless people if they want to be taken to a shelter, and if not, they'll be given blankets and warm clothing.
With files from CTV British Columbia's Michele Brunoro and The Canadian Press
