These 2 B.C. communities set high-temperature records Saturday

The Vancouver skyline is pictured from the air at sunset. (Pete Cline / CTV News Vancouver)

Saturday was the warmest Jan. 14 on record in two B.C. communities, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Vancouver and White Rock saw the highest temperatures recorded in more than half a century

The temperature hit 13.8 C at Vancouver International Airport, breaking the record of 13.3 C. that set in 1968. Records have been kept in the city since 1896.

In White Rock, the mercury hit 14.4 C, beating the previous high of 13.9 C, also recorded in 1968. That community has been keeping records since 1929.

Temperature records are "derived from a selection of historical stations in each geographic area that were active during the period of record," according to Environment Canada, which added that the data is preliminary.

The warm, dry weather came after rainfall warnings and flood watches were lifted for the region. As an atmospheric river swept through the South Coast, it brought precipitation and higher temperatures, also increasing the risk of avalanches. As of Saturday, the danger rating has been downgraded to "moderate."

The conditions mark a significant shift change from the frigid overnight temperatures and significant dumps of snow that marked the end of last year.

"December was absolutely record-breaking," Environment Canada meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau told CTV News earlier this month.

Communities across the province saw low-temperature records shattered, and in Abbotsford and Vancouver, the amount of snow that accumulated was more than 200 per cent of what is considered normal, she noted