Environment Canada has issued extreme cold warnings for several parts of British Columbia along the Alberta boundary.
The weather agency says an Arctic air mass combined with a north wind is bringing wind chill values near -40 C to the Peace River region, including the communities of Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.
The cold was forecast to persist until Tuesday before some warming on Wednesday.
To the south, a warning has also been issued for the Elk Valley area along with Kootenay and Yoho national parks, where Environment Canada says wind chill values near -35 were expected overnight and Tuesday night.
It says some moderation of temperatures was expected during the daytime.
The weather agency cautions that wind chill values near -40 can cause frostbite within minutes and also raises the risk of hypothermia.
Overnight wind chill values near -10 to -15 were expected in Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound and the Fraser Valley until temperatures gradually warm later this week, it says.
The Canadian Press
