From Alberta to the Atlantic provinces, Canada faces a wind-chilled deep freeze this weekend
“Cold” might be a bit of an understatement when it comes to what much of Canada will be facing this weekend — unless you’re in balmy southwest British Columbia, where cherry blossoms are blooming early in some Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods.
Unfortunately, for the rest of us, cold weather warnings have been issued from Prince Edward Island all the way west to eastern Alberta — and it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) says temperatures in some parts of the Prairies could feel like –55 C with wind chill, as an Arctic airmass firmly establishes itself over the region.
A polar vortex is behind this cold snap, ECCC meteorologist Trudy Kidd told CBC Toronto.
“It’s a swirling pool of cold air that’s typically parked over the Arctic. And at times, it weakens,” Kidd said. When it weakens, Arctic air can travel down south.
The cold snap is expected to last through the weekend in most areas, with parts of southern Ontario also sitting in the eye of a snowstorm that could bring 20-30 centimetres of snow on Sunday.
Here’s a region-by-region breakdown of how cold it’ll be, and the effects the deep freeze is already having.
- Do you have a question about extreme cold in your area? Send an email to [email protected].
Prairies
In eastern Alberta, wind chill values of –40 C to –45 C are expected to persist through the weekend, according to ECCC, before temperatures begin to warm a little.
Orange alerts cover all of Saskatchewan and Manitoba and parts of northwestern Ontario due to the cold, with wind chill values ranging from –45 to –50 C.
“Wind chill values may improve slightly during daytime hours but are expected to drop back below –40 each night for the next several nights,” the ECCC stated in its warnings for Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
WATCH | Emergency crews, winter recreation centres in Winnipeg deal with extreme cold:
Frigid Winnipeg weather closes activities, complicates emergency operations
As a stretch of extreme cold continues in Winnipeg, things like driving, recreation and even emergency response operations are being affected.
On Friday, the cold prompted several school or bus service cancellations in Manitoba for the second consecutive day.
It’s also made emergency response operations a lot harder in Winnipeg. Fire crews have been dealing with frozen equipment and quick-freezing water, along with the biting wind.
Even some winter recreation activities are being paused. The ski trails at Winnipeg’s Windsor Park Nordic Centre have had to close until Monday as well.
Eastern Canada
Northwestern Ontario’s orange weather warning range from Fort Severn to the Ignace and Fort Francis areas. The region could feel as cold as –48 C overnight, ECCC says.
The rest of Ontario east of Thunder Bay, along with southern Quebec, are under a yellow level weather warning, but still with lows feeling like –40 C.
Thunder Bay is operating its mobile warming centre Care Bus, which has been circulating throughout the city for people who need access to a warm space and other essential services.
WATCH | The lowdown on this weekend’s wintry weather in the GTA:
What you need to know about this weekend’s extreme cold, snow in the GTA
If you live in the GTA, you can expect a brutal blast of winter weather this weekend. CBC meteorologist Colette Kennedy breaks down everything you need to know.
As well as the snowstorm in the forecast, which is expected to hit the Greater Toronto Area, southern Ontario also faces temperatures feeling like –35 C through the weekend.
In northern Quebec, wind chill values will continue to linger between –45 C and –50 C through the weekend.
In addition to feeling like –35 C overnight, the Lower Laurentians, Greater Montreal, Montérégie and the Eastern Townships should gear up for 10-20 centimetres of snow beginning Sunday evening and continuing into Monday.
WATCH | It’ll feel colder than the inside of a freezer in Quebec this weekend:
Bundle up. A polar vortex will freeze Quebec this weekend
Environment and Climate Change Canada is warning people to be properly dressed if they venture outside this weekend, with low temperatures bringing an elevated risk of frostbite.
Atlantic Canada
All of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick are under yellow level weather warnings, with the wind chill making it feel like –30 C to –35 C in some areas.
A brief but intense period of snow is expected in northeastern New Brunswick Friday evening, with significantly reduced visibility.
WATCH | It’s so cold, you can freeze bubbles:
It’s cold enough to freeze bubbles
Here’s something you can try outside during this cold snap! All you need is some water, syrup, soap and sugar and let Jack Frost work his magic.
Here are some tips for riding out the extreme cold.
What if my power goes out?
Prepare an emergency kit ahead of possible power outages with supplies that’ll last you 72 hours. Make sure it’s easy to find and accessible to everyone in your household.
The kit should include:
- Water bottles
- Food that won’t spoil (canned food, granola bars, baby formula, pet food)
- Manual can opener
- Battery-operated flashlight
- Extra batteries
- First-aid kit
Frostbite risk
Cold warnings are issued by ECCC when temperatures or wind chills elevate the risk of frostbite or hypothermia. Frostbite can develop within minutes on any exposed skin with wind chill values as low as they are in much of the country.
Here are some cold-related red flags you should watch out for:
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Muscle pain and weakness
- Numbness and colour change in fingers and toes
ECCC is urging people to watch for any signs of numbness, pain, tingling, swelling or colour changes in fingers or toes, and to move indoors to start warming up right away if you do start feeling any of the above symptoms.
Young children, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, people working or exercising outdoors and those without proper shelter are at most risk, ECCC stated in its alert. It urged people to cover up — making sure the outermost layer they’re wearing is wind resistant — and to check up on older family, friends and neighbours.
Tips for vehicle owners
ECCC recommends keeping emergency supplies in your vehicle, including extra blankets and jumper cables.
Neil Cutting, shop manager at Payless Automotive Maintenance and Repairs in Thunder Bay, Ont., told CBC News that a block heater can make all the difference in the cold.
WATCH | Thunder Bay auto shop manager says to keep emergency supplies handy:
What drivers can do to keep their vehicles running during a cold snap
Northwestern Ontario is facing frigid temperatures this week, with overnight lows dropping to around -30 C in some places. The CBC’s Kris Ketonen stopped by Payless Automotive Maintenance and Repairs in Thunder Bay, Ont., where he spoke with shop manager Neil Cutting about how to keep vehicles running during sudden cold snaps.
“Essentially, most block heaters will keep your coolant warm, which keeps the whole engine warm,” Cutting said. “Then the oil gets up to the engine quicker.”
Cutting said drivers of electric or hybrid vehicles should also keep reduced battery performance in mind.
“You just end up with, with a shorter drive length,” Cutting said. If, for example, your battery normally gives you a range of 300 or 400 kilometres, “you might end up with only 150, 200, because it just operates at less capacity when it’s really cold,” he added.
Why is it so cold if climate change is warming the Earth?
Climate change is determined by long-term trends on a global scale, with a variety of measurements that have shown a clear overall warming trend.
This cold snap is an unusual weather event, but something short-term and regional.
“No single weather event can prove or disprove global warming,” explained Matthew Barlow, a professor in the Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Science Department at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in a 2024 article in The Conversation.
Megan Kirchmeier-Young, a research scientist with ECCC, told CBC News in 2024 that extreme cold snaps are becoming less frequent and temperatures during cold snaps that do occur are warmer than they might have been.
“As we continue warming, it is less likely that we will be breaking cold records,” Kirchmeier-Young added. “But we may.”
