Baby, it's cold outside: Communities across B.C. smash cold weather records

A frigid air mass has blanketed British Columbia, smashing years-old temperature records and dumping snow across the province.

At Vancouver International Airport, the temperature dipped to 2 C Wednesday morning, breaking a temperature record set in 1937.

There were other records broken across the province, including Prince George where temperatures dipped to -12.1 C, breaking the previous record of -9.4 C set in 1950.

Across B.C., daytime highs will be five to 10 degrees below the seasonal average.

There is one silver lining: the cold will be accompanied by sunny skies which are expected to last until the end of the week.

Drivers advised to prepare for snow

The same cold front which brought in the partly Arctic air mass also brought snow to B.C.'s Interior and Calgary earlier this week.

Sheridan Lake got 45 centimetres of snow, while Rogers Pass got 32 centimetres.

Kurtis Strelau, director of education with the Young Drivers of Canada, said the snow is an important reminder to get prepared for winter driving conditions.

This means winterizing your vehicle, not just with snow tires — which are mandatory across some B.C. highways — but also with winter coolant, windshield wiper fluid and lights.

The map above shows the major routes requiring snow tires. A full list of routes requiring winter tires can be found on the ministry's website.

Another tip? Know that everything will likely take longer.

"You really have to plan for more time," Strelau said. "There's a bunch of proactive stuff you can do to know that you are safe."

With files from Matthew Low and BC Today

Read more from CBC British Columbia