Temperatures to drop as Arctic cold snap on the way

Batten down the hatches! Arctic cold, strong outflow winds and even some snow are on the way.

Warming centres and extreme weather shelter beds are opening across the North Shore as the south coast prepares for some bone-chilling Arctic temperatures to hit, starting Thursday.

The latest forecast from Environment Canada calls for temperatures dipping to as low as -11 overnight, which could feel as low as -20 with the windchill from strong outflow winds starting Thursday night, said Derek Lee, meteorologist with Environment Canada. Overnight Friday is expected to bring the coldest temperatures, which could even break records.

It’s possible there could still be snow flurries on the North Shore, starting later in the afternoon on Thursday, said Lee. But accumulations are expected to be small – two to four centimetres at most, said Lee.

If all that weren’t enough, Environment Canada is also warning that a storm surge is possible along low lying shorelines of North and West Vancouver Thursday morning, when a high tide is expected to combine with strong winds and waves.

It's a dramatic turnaround from just two weeks ago, Lee said, when the North Shore hit record high temperatures at the end of December.

In response to the expected cold snap, the North Shore’s three municipalities are co-ordinating a response through the North Shore Emergency Management Office.

Recreation centres and libraries throughout the North Shore will be available as places for people to go and warm up during regular hours. The City of North Vancouver will also be extending its library hours to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings.

For overnight shelter, an extra 20 sleeping mats are being provided at North Vancouver’s Lookout shelter through the provincial extreme weather response, in addition to the shelter’s regular beds.

The extreme weather shelter beds on the North Shore have already been open for 37 days this winter, according to the Lookout Housing and Health Society, which operates the shelter.

An additional overnight warming centre is also being set up at John Braithwaite Community Centre in Lower Lonsdale for anyone who needs a safe place to stay warm between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Lookout outreach workers are also handing out cold weather kits including warm clothing, hand warmers and sleeping bags to people sleeping rough outside.

In preparation for the cold snap, municipal crews have been out in areas of the North Shore applying salt and brine on the roads. Public works crews and snowplows are also standing by.