It’s no surprise that the ongoing blast of winter broke a handful of weather records this week – the oldest dating back to 1916.
On Wednesday, Quesnel dipped to -41.9 C, according to Environment Canada, surpassing the 104-year-old record of -41.1 C. Weather records in the area have been recorded by the weather agency since 1893.
A number of weather advisories have been in effect across the province since Sunday as a Pacific cold system makes its way through B.C., bringing with it frigid cold temperatures and heavy snowfall.
Meteorologist Baljit Sekhon told Black Press Media that people can expect temperatures to start nearing back to regular temperatures in the coming days.
ALSO READ: Blast of winter continues across B.C., bringing frigid weather and more snow
“In terms of that we’re starting to warm up now and the coldest air is kind of behind us,” he said. “We have a rebound coming to warmer temperatures this weekend and a near-normal trend should carry on to end of the month.”
The unpredictability of snowfall makes it hard for forecasters to determine when records are actually broken, Sekhon explained, because it doesn’t snow each day during a snow storm.
However, Sekhon was able to confirm that Comox Valley and Courtenay both beat prior records Wednesday with a snowfall accumulation of 34.8 centimetres – more than 10 centimetres greater than on the same day in 1951 when it snowed 23.4 centimetres.
The Greater Victoria area also broke a record, from 1971, of 20 centimetres of snow compared to 9.9 centimetres.
B.C. cities which broke temperature records include:
Burns Lake Area: -44.1 C (-41.1 C in 1950)
Clinton: -33.3 C (-29.8 C in 2005)
Kitimat: -24 C (-20.6 C in 1971)
Malahat: -7.2 C (-6 C in 1987)
Prince George: -44.4 C (-41.2 C in 1979)
Puntzi Mountain: -48.8 C (-37.4 C in 2005)
Quesnel: -41.9 C (-41.1 C in 1916)
Squamish: -12.5 C (-8 C in 2005)
Tatlayoko Lake: -35.4 C (-35 C in 1950)
Vanderhoof: -44 C (-40 C in 1937)
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