Why is it that southwestern British Columbia never gets caught in a deep freeze or a cold snap the way the Prairies do in the winter?
Coastal British Columbia rarely experiences a deep freeze for long periods of time because the average wind flow for B.C. during the winter is from the west. This wind direction provides a mild flow of Pacific Ocean air over British Columbia. However, even coastal B.C. can occasionally experience cold temperatures when an arctic high pressure system pumps cold air through the interior valleys and out to the coast. In these cases, the wind blows from land and subfreezing conditions can occur across the Lower Mainland. However, these episodes of cold air rarely last for longer than ten days as the westerly flow from the Pacific eventually returns.
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