Snow and frigid weather to usher in official start of winter

It’s not officially winter yet, but parts of B.C., including the Okanagan, will be getting a blast of harsh weather ahead of the Christmas weekend.

The Okanagan is forecast to see new snow Saturday and Sunday.

No snowfall warnings or advisories have been issued by Environment Canada to this point, with 5 centimetres expected on Saturday.

A cold front is also moving into the region Saturday with temperatures plummeting to minus 12 at night and staying cold until at least next Thursday, Dec. 22.

The Coquihalla Highway Summit is forecast to get about 5 cm’s of snow on Saturday.

At the coast, Vancouver will see cooler temperatures and the chance of flurries this weekend.

By the way, the winter solstice officially starts on Wednesday, Dec. 21.

That marks the shortest day, and longest night, of the year.