Environment Canada has published extreme cold warnings for much of the Prairies and parts of Ontario and Quebec Saturday morning as arctic air poured south.
The national weather agency said the cold snap caused wind chills to drop below -40C in parts of the country, including northeastern Alberta and most of Saskatchewan and of Manitoba.
“Any temperature below -40 (wind chill) triggers an extreme cold warning, and most places have no problem reaching that temperature this morning,” said Chris Stammers, senior meteorologist with Environment Canada. “This will continue in the coming days.”
He said a low pressure system allowed winds to blow cold air southeast. Minimum temperatures around -30°C are expected to persist through Monday, but are expected to warm to just below freezing in Saskatchewan on Tuesday.
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Manitoba can expect to see the cold ease a day later, Stammers said.
Arctic air has also spread to parts of Ontario and Quebec, where the national forecaster estimates it could persist until Wednesday.
Environment Canada meteorologist David Rodgers said cold air will move toward southern Ontario, including Toronto and Ottawa, on Sunday, and may not ease until Friday.
Southern Ontario could see highs of -12C and lows of -20C, he said.
While Stammers said it’s not uncommon to see extreme cold like this on the Prairies, Rodgers said it’s rarer in Ontario — although it’s far from unheard of.
“Minus 20 is kind of the threshold that we look for here in Toronto, and it’s been down to -20 several times over the last five years,” he said. “Maybe every two or three years we would see something like this. »
Rodgers stressed that the cold poses a health risk. He added that people should stay indoors if possible and bundle up otherwise, because frostbite can develop on exposed skin within minutes in such cold weather.
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