A large swath of Ontario was under an extreme cold warning Friday when a polar air mass with freezing winds pushed its way across the province.
Environment Canada advised wind chill values between -30 C and -40 C in much of southern and eastern Ontario, and as low as -50 C in parts of northern Ontario.
The federal weather agency said the cold could cause frostbite on exposed skin in a matter of minutes.
Meteorologist Steven Flisfeder said extreme cold conditions across the province were expected to continue through Saturday.
“Tundra is a pretty good word to include in this,” Flisfeder said. “We saw very cold temperatures in northern Ontario during the week and that air mass eventually made its way into southern Ontario.”
Temperatures were expected to drop overnight on Friday, he said.
“We won’t see a real warm up until later on Saturday,” Flisfeder said. “By the time we get to early next business week, we’ll have above-seasonal temperatures once again.”
Environment Canada said wind chills could approach minus 30 C in the Greater Toronto area on Friday, while Ottawa could feel closer to minus 40 C.
In Thunder Bay, Environment Canada said it would feel more like -45 C and regions around Hudson Bay are forecast to feel chilly around -50 C.
In addition to extreme cold watches, Environment Canada issued blizzard warnings for Grey-Bruce and Huron-Perth in southern Ontario, with snowfall up to 10 inches through Friday night.
“Just grit your teeth, dress in layers, limit our time outdoors as much as possible, and make sure you cover as much skin as possible to protect it from frostbite,” Flisfeder said.
Data from the city of Toronto indicated that its heating centers were at 98 percent capacity as of Thursday.
He said there was still room in his overnight shelter system as of Friday morning.
The city said it had directed staff not to take anyone away from shelters or warming centers during the extreme cold.
The extreme cold snap prompted Environment Canada to issue similar cold advisories in Manitoba, as far as Quebec and the Maritimes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 3, 2023.
