Nearly two dozen B.C. communities saw new record low temperatures in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
For some areas, it was the third straight day of record-breaking cold.
Bella Bella, Clinton, Nakusp and Puntzi Mountain all saw their lowest-ever minimum temperatures for April 16 on Saturday, and each one also set or tied its record low on April 14 and 15, according to Environment Canada.
Puntzi Mountain, about 180 kilometres west of Williams Lake, has been keeping temperature records since 1959. Saturday’s low of -13.3 C surpassed the previous record of -11.1 set in 1970.
Nakusp, where records have been kept since 1966, also broke a record from 1970 with a temperature of -4.4 on Saturday. The previous record low for April 16 was -2.8.
Clinton’s low of -9.5 surpassed the record of -7.2 set in 1976, while Bella Bella’s previous record of -1.2 was set recently, in 2013. The village saw temperatures reach -4.6 on Saturday.
Some of the other records that fell on Saturday were more than 100 years old.
Bella Coola’s previous record low for April 16 was -3.9, set back in 1901. Temperatures dropped to -4.4 on Saturday. Records have been kept in the area since 1895.
Similarly, Quesnel, Nelson and Prince George broke records that had stood since 1909, 1918 and 1927, respectively.
The oldest records to fall on Saturday, however, were in Vancouver and Princeton, both of which saw low temperatures not seen on April 16 since the 19th century.
Vancouver’s temperature of -1.2 broke the previous record of -0.6 set in 1896, and Princeton lows reach -8.4, surpassing the -6.7 seen in 1895.
The full list of 23 temperature records set on Saturday, according to Environment Canada’s preliminary data, is as follows:
- Bella Bella Area: New record of -4.6, old record of -1.2 set in xjmtzyw2013
- Bella Coola Area: New record of -4.4, old record of -3.9 set in 1901
- Blue River Area: New record of -9, old record of -8.9 set in 1971
- Burns Lake Area: New record of -11.5, previous record of -11.4 set in 2000
- Cache Creek Area: New record of -4.1, previous record of -4 set in 1995
- Clinton Area: New record of -9.5, previous record of -7.2 set in 1976
- Kamloops Area: New record of -5.5, previous record of -5 set in 1971
- Lillooet Area: New record of -3.4, previous record of -1.7 set in 1973
- Lytton Area: New record of -3.6, previous record of -2.2 set in 1971
- Merritt Area: New record of -8.3, previous record of -6.7 set in 1971
- Nakusp Area: New record of -4.4, previous record of -2.8 set in 1970
- Nelson Area: New record of -3.4, previous record of -2.8 set in 1918
- Port Hardy Area: New record of -2.9, previous record of -1.1 set in 2013
- Prince George Area: New record of -9.5, previous record of -9.4 set in 1927
- Princeton Area: New record of -8.4, previous record of -6.7 set in 1895
- Puntzi Mountain Area: New record of -13.3, previous record of -11.1 set in 1970
- Quesnel Area: New record of -9.1, previous record of -8.9 set in 1909
- Sechelt Area: New record of -0.6, previous record of -0.5 set in 1995
- Sparwood Area: New record of -10.8, previous record of -6.8 set in 1995
- Squamish Area: New record of -2.7, previous record of -1.7 set in 1964
- Tatlayoko Lake Area: New record of -12.9, previous record of -12.2 set in 1968
- Trail Area: New record of -3.9, previous record of -2.6 set in 2013
- Vancouver Area: New record of -1.2, previous record of -0.6 set in 1896
Environment Canada says these temperature records are derived from "a selection of historical stations in each geographic area that were active during the period of record."
Though data is considered preliminary, Environment Canada meteorologist Gregg Walters told CTV News on Saturday that this is because additional data may still be collected, not because of concerns about the accuracy of the data already collected.
Walters attributed the recent cold snap to the combination of a trough over central and southern B.C. and clear skies overnight. He said the current weather pattern is expected to change gradually over the coming week, with overnight low temperatures gradually becoming more seasonable.
