Good Friday to you, Squamish!
We heart you. Happy Valentine's Day.
Squamish meteorologist Jason Ross says the arctic ridge that has maintained dry and mainly clear conditions for the past several days has slowly weakened, allowing a low-pressure system to approach the B.C. coast on Saturday evening into Sunday morning.
Overnight, it will dip to 1 C, which will feel like -8 C again, due to the wind chill.
The next system will bring a slow warming trend with light alpine snowfall amounts of 5 to 10 centimetres over the Whistler area and 10 to 15 cm for the coast in Squamish towards the North Shore Mountains.
A weak ridge of high pressure will bring some breaks on Monday and Tuesday.
A west-to-southwest flow will bring additional systems to the area Wednesday into next weekend.
Freezing Levels will be as follows:
Friday: 500 metres
Saturday: 300-500 m,
Sunday: rising to nearly 1,000 m in the afternoon
Sunrise today is at 7:25 a.m., sunset is at 5:30 p.m.
Pool closure
Please note that the Brennan Park Pool is closed for the foreseeable future, to address the facility's deck, which has been deemed a potential slip hazard.
A warm place to duck out of the cold
With the current cold snap, the District is reminding locals that the following municipal buildings are available as warming centres:
Squamish Public Library
→ Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
→ Monday, Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
→ Sunday: 12 to 4 p.m.
Brennan Park Recreation Centre
→ Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
→ Saturday and Sunday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The 55 Activity Centre
→ Monday and Friday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
→ Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
→ Saturday: Programs Only
→ Sunday: Closed
For more information on how to prepare for cold weather, go to squamish.ca/extreme-cold.
Don't ski on the golf course
In a message that shouldn't have to be posted, the Squamish Valley Golf Club is asking locals not to skate/cross country ski on the course.
Obviously, doing this could damage the course.
Signage has been installed.
"Staff will ask people disobeying the signs to leave the premises. Thank you for your understanding," reads the post.
Winter tires
Don't forget, since Oct. 1, winter tires or chains are required on the Sea to Sky Highway. It is the law.
"Passenger vehicles and light trucks need to use tires that have the three-peaked mountain and snowflake symbol or 'M+S' on the sidewall. This applies to two-wheel, all-wheel, and four-wheel drive vehicles. The tires need to be in good condition and have a tread depth of at least 3.5 mm (5/32”)," reads the 4 Road Safety at Work site.
"Designated winter tires are your best option for staying safe in winter conditions. We recommend using a set of four matched winter tires with the three-peaked mountain and snowflake symbol."
The tires must stay on through to March 31. Not having proper winter tires or chains can earn drivers a fine of $121.
Driving issues to note
•North on Highway 99, watch for slippery sections between Lil'wat Pl and Seton Lake Rd for 45.1 km (Lillooet). There's compact snow.
Moon phase
The moon is in its waning gibbous phase.
But what does that mean, exactly?
"The term waning means decreasing, and the term gibbous means 'humped-back.' Therefore, this phase is called waning gibbous because the surface area of the Moon that you see is decreasing and the shape of the lit-up part of the moon looks like a hump-back. This phase is one step in the cycle away from the third quarter, so the angle of the Earth, moon, and sun is almost perpendicular. This means that the sun and moon’s gravitational pulls on the tides cancel each other out, decreasing the amount of tidal pull. The Earth’s tides at this point are decreasing, almost at neap tide," reads the Kopernik Observatory & Science Center site.
The moon's illumination is currently 95.95%.
It is currently located in the constellation of Pisces, according to phasesmoon.com.
B.C. extremes
Yesterday's hot spot in all of B.C. was Solander Island (off the northwest coast of Vancouver Island ), which saw a high of 7.9 C, according to Environment Canada data.
It was also the hot spot in all of Canada.
(The high at Squamish Airport yesterday was 6.4 C.)
The coldest spot in B.C. on Feb. 13 was Puntzi Mountain (near Williams Lake), which dipped to -30.1 C.
Seawater temp
According to seatemperature.info, the water temperature in Howe Sound today is 6.1 C.
February average water temperature in Howe Sound is 6.6 C, the minimum temperature is 5.4 C, and the maximum is 8.3 C.
Avalanche forecast
According to avalog.co, today, the alpine rating is low, the treeline rating is low, and the below treeline rating is low.
Known problems include wind slabs.
The advice for today from avalog.co is:
"Watch for wind slabs at upper elevations and in extreme terrain."
Continue to verify conditions in your area and practice good travel habits.
- The snowpack is generally stable; it may be appropriate to step out into more complex terrain.
- Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
- Be careful with sluffing in steep terrain, especially above cliffs and terrain traps.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
The District reminds locals that Squamish DOX Recycling, located at 40446 Government Road, is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..
The recycle hub accepts a variety of recyclable materials, including: glass, flexible plastics, foam packaging, paper and cardboard, containers (plastic, metal, and paper).
Events to note
There's always something going on in this town. Here's our Valentine's Day and Family Day roundups.
There's also:
Today, there's Blood on the Clocktower at Arrow Wood Games, located at 38157 2 Ave., from 7 to 10:30 p.m.
"Reserving your ticket in advance is highly recommended for this event. Who needs candlelight when there’s Blood on the Clocktower?" reads the listing.
Feb. 15, there's Country Night with The Unbranded Band at Trickster's Hideout, at 38005 Cleveland Ave., from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
"Grab your cowboy boots and get ready for an unforgettable evening of music, dancing, and good old-fashioned country vibes. Whether you’re a die-hard country fan or just looking for a fantastic night out, this event promises something for everyone," reads the listing.
There are many more events coming up; go to our online events calendar to see them all! Want a possible shout-out in our daily report? Load your event into our free calendar by clicking "Create an event."
No parking
• Parking on select streets in Squamish is now restricted to one side only, until March 1, 2025.
"This ensures snow plows and emergency vehicles can safely navigate during winter conditions," says the District.
"Vehicles parking on the No Parking side of the street may be ticketed and towed at any time to ensure community safety. The fine for impeding snow removal is $250."
Affected streets:
- Hemlock Avenue - Cedar Drive to Spruce Drive
- Chestnut Avenue - Cedar Drive to Spruce Drive
- Fir Street - Pine Drive to Spruce Dr.
- Third Avenue - Pemberton Avenue to Winnipeg Street (No parking on East side); Pemberton Avenue to Vancouver Street (No parking on West side)
- Fourth Avenue - Winnipeg Street to Main Street (No parking on West side)
- Fifth Avenue - Winnipeg Street to Main Street. (No parking on West side)
- Sixth Avenue - Entire street. (No parking on West side)
- Eaglewind Boulevard - No perimeter parking near the roundabout at the end of Pemberton Avenue
- Edgewater Drive - Government Road to Edgewater Crescent (No parking on East side)
- Edgewater Crescent - Entire street. (No parking on the outside perimeter of the Crescent)
- No Name Road - Entire street. (No parking on East side)
- Brothers Place - Entire street. (No parking on South side)
- Britannia Avenue - Magee Street to Buckley Avenue. (No parking on East side)
- Harris Road - Government Road to cul-de-sac (No parking on South side)
- Hope Road - Depot Road to Axen Road (No parking on East side)
- Diamond Road- Tantalus Road to Garibaldi Way. No parking on North side.
- Diamond Head Road - Garibaldi Way to Mamquam Road- No parking on West side.
- Glacier View Drive - Entire street. No parking on the outside perimeter.
To find out more, go to: squamish.ca/winter-parking.
Gas prices
In Squamish today, regular gas is going for 185.9 cents per litre at most stations.
Gas in Whistler is 185.9/L at the Co-op, located at 2101 Lake Placid Rd.
In Pemberton, you can fill up for 180.9/L at most stations.
The cheapest gas in B.C. can be found in Quesnel, where you can fill up for 155.9/L at the Super Save Gas at 914 Front St.
