Environment Canada has issued an extreme Cold Warning has been issued for the Cariboo region.
Meteorologist Derek Lee says overnight lows will be between 20 and 25 degrees below normal at times as the Arctic air moves in, and he says that’s not the whole story.
“We are looking at temperatures close to -35 for the nighttime but with the wind chill of maybe feeling in the negative 40’s as well. With a 10 to 20 kilometre wind, it doesn’t sound like much wind, but it really can make things feel 10 to 15 degrees colder than the actual temperature.”
Lee says the normal low for this time of year is -13.
In terms of records, he says the best shot is on Friday in Williams Lake.
“January 12th for Quesnel we have a record low of -38.9 degrees from 1913, and for Williams Lake on January 12th -33.6 degrees from 1993, so that negative 35 at Williams Lake is likely to break the record.’
Lee says the Cariboo has definitely experienced colder temperatures at this time of year in the past.
“For the Quesnel area, looking at the upcoming few days, the coldest I have on record up until Monday is January 16th at -43.3 in 1950. And for Williams Lake, until Monday, the coldest temperature we have on record is actually tomorrow (Thursday) at -36.7 degrees from 1975.”
Lee says the weather is supposed to get a little warmer early next week, although he says it will still be a bit below normal.
