VANCOUVER -- Don’t remove your snow tires just yet, because a severe cold snap that may be followed by a snow dump is on the way.

Global TV meteorologist Mark Madryga said the shivery days coming up could be record breaking.

Environment Canada is calling for a low temperature of minus seven for Thursday, and minus 8 for Friday, both of which would break records for coldness, if the forecast comes to pass. The previous cold record for Feb. 24 is minus 6.5 in 1993 and the average minimum temperature is two degrees. For Feb. 25, the previous cold record is minus 5.2, also in 1993, and the average minimum temperature is two degrees.

Sunday morning it got down to minus four at the airport, with the record low at minus six.

“All of the weather charts are strongly showing Arctic air punching down over us,” Madryga said. “We’ll probably get a lot colder than minus four by Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

“We could be flirting with minus 10 on Thursday and Friday, along with a strong wind that will make it feel even colder.”

Madryga estimates that the highs on Thursday and Friday will be at about the freezing mark.

Although it’s a bit far off to reliably predict, Madryga said U.S. weather charts for Washington are calling for snow for early next week after the cold snap.

Although meteorologists were calling for a La Nina with lots of snow this winter, the Lower Mainland has missed the worst of it.

La Nina typically gives us greater snow fall for the mountains, with colder weather and more snow than normal, Madryga said.

“La Nina has not really been a factor for us, because it’s been a pretty tame winter so far, but for the North Shore mountains it has been a La Nina pattern,” Madryga said. “They’ve have had more snow than normal and the Interior of B.C. has been hit by winter weather, as has a lot of North America.”

“We’ve been a bit lucky here,” Madryga said. “We’re finally going to get into a wintry weather pattern now.”

The forecast is calling for possible snow flurries Monday at higher elevations, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are expected to be sunny.

tsherlock@vancouversun.com