Frigid temperatures continued to grip British Columbia and the Prairies on Sunday.
Environment Canada says arctic air will continue to generate wind chill temperatures of between -40 C and -50 C in some parts of B.C., including Peace River and Prince George.
It says temperatures will moderate in Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley later on Sunday.
Relief has started to arrive in B.C. as Environment Canada lifted arctic outflow and extreme cold warnings for the Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Prince George, Cariboo, South Thompson and North Coast areas.
The Alberta Electric Systems Operator issued grid alerts Friday and Saturday, and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf warned there was a high risk of rotating outages Saturday night, which did not occur.
B.C.’s public energy utility, BC Hydro, issued a statement on Sunday saying it sent about 200 megawatts of power to Alberta after the grid alert from that province’s electricity Operator.
“Extreme weather events like drought and cold snaps are putting people and communities at increased risk,” B.C. Energy, Mines and Low Carbon innovation minister Josie Osborne said in a statement.
“Thanks to the resiliency of our energy system and exceptional planning by BC Hydro, we are able to meet the needs of British Columbians while also delivering clean, reliable hydro-electricity to our neighbours in Alberta when they needed it most.”
BC Hydro said the extreme cold drove peak hourly electricity demand across the province to a record high on Friday night, reaching 11,300 megawatts.
B.C. has not escaped the cold snap unscathed, with two hospitals and at least one ice arena hit by the deep freeze.
Patients needing emergency treatment in Mission were being diverted to nearby Fraser Valley hospitals at Maple Ridge, Langley, Abbotsford or Chilliwack after pipes froze and burst at Mission Memorial Hospital, causing a flood in the emergency department.
At Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, a front-door heater at an emergency waiting area malfunctioned and temperatures dropped to -6 C Saturday.
“All patients waiting in the temporary waiting room were immediately moved to the main waiting room, where there is significantly less cold air coming from outside,” Gerry Desilets, the hospital’s clinical operations director, said in a statement Sunday.
“Our staff also routinely give out blankets and check on patients,” he said. City of Kamloops officials said Saturday frozen pipes forced the closure of a local ice arena in the Valleyview community.
Temperatures on the West Coast are forecast to warm slightly through the coming week, with rain expected as early as Thursday, but the possibility of snow in Victoria and Vancouver remains in the forecast for Tuesday.
Environment Canada says temperatures will warm somewhat in Alberta, but a hazardous frostbite warning remains in effect with highs of – 24 C forecast for Edmonton.
— with files from Canadian Press
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