(UPDATE) Yellow-level warning for cold weather no longer anticipated

Updated, 1:12 p.m., December 20th: The yellow-level advisory has ended.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – A weather advisory issued for cold weather in the Peace region has ended.

Environment Canada issued an alert stating a “period of very cold windchills” was expected to continue into Saturday morning, with windchill temperatures nearing -40 C. However, at 12:58 p.m. today, it issued an update stating extreme cold conditions “are no longer expected.”

The morning forecast on Saturday, December 20th was projected to be -28 C, with windchill values hovering around a frigid -36 C, plummeting to -38 C overnight. 

This afternoon’s updated high is said to be -27 C, with windchills at -32 C throughout the remainder of Saturday.

Using the weather authority’s colour-coded alert system, the level was yellow – which indicates weather causing damage or disruptions, or has health-related impacts.

The weather authority’s alert in the morning did state both temperature and windchills “could vary locally based on cloud cover.”

It warned residents to “dress warmly” with “layers you can remove if you get too warm,” and warned frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin “especially with windchill.”

The City of Fort St. John has seen record snowfall, with Environment Canada stating on Friday to Energeticcity.ca the area had already seen three times its average in December 2025 in only 18 days.

To view the full advisory, see it on Environment Canada’s website.