Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows residents endured arctic weather that set temperature records across B.C. and Alberta last week, but it created some beautiful winter scenes, and a rare chance to skate outdoors in the Lower Mainland.
There was a steady trickle of bundled up residents walking to the Port Haney Wharf to get photos and video of the ice flowing down the Fraser River on Sunday.
And Whonnock Lake, which is a popular spot for outdoor skating when it’s cold enough, was like a expansive sheet of blue glass, with lots of room for dozens of skaters at a time to pass hockey pucks around or simply go for a twirl in the weekend sunshine.
READ ALSO: Fraser River freezes shore-to-shore between Langley and Maple Ridge
The arctic weather of the past week caused a lot of new temperature records around the province. In Pitt Meadows on Jan. 12, the coldest day of the week, the temperature dropped to -13.1 Celsius, tying the low for the day, and it felt like -23 C with the wind chill.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement that includes the potential for freezing rain in the coming days.
On Tuesday, a Pacific low pressure system will approach the coast from the west. The moisture from this system will interact with arctic air over the south coast to bring snow to most areas.
Snow is expected to begin Tuesday evening and continue into Wednesday morning. Temperatures will hover near zero, making the type of precipitation uncertain at this time. Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Greater Victoria, and the Malahat Highway could experience freezing rain mixed with the snow overnight Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
The forecast calls for a high of zero and low of -1 Celsius on Tuesday, and high of 2C and low of plus one on Wednesday.
There are warmer temperatures and rain in the forecast for later in the week.
READ ALSO: Warmth returns to B.C. the week, not so fast on the Prairies