Environment Canada issued an extreme cold warning for most of the Prairies and parts of Ontario and Quebec Saturday morning as Arctic air moves south.
The national weather agency said the cold snap caused wind chills to drop below -40 degrees Celsius in parts of the country, including northeastern Alberta and most of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
“Anything colder than -40 (wind chill) triggers an extreme cold warning, and most locations have no problem reaching that level this morning,” said Chris Stammers, senior meteorologist with Environment Canada. “This will continue for the next few days.”
He said a low pressure system made way for cold air to flow to the southeast. Lows around -30 degrees Celsius are expected to continue through Monday, but it is expected to warm to just below zero in Saskatchewan on Tuesday.
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Stammers said the cold is expected to subside in Manitoba after a day.
Arctic air has also reached parts of Ontario and Quebec, where national forecasters say it could last until Wednesday.
Environment Canada meteorologist David Rodgers said the cold air will reach southern Ontario, including Toronto and Ottawa, on Sunday, and it may not subside until Friday.
The maximum temperature in southern Ontario could be -12 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature could be -20 degrees Celsius, he said.
While Stammers said it’s not unusual to see such extreme cold in the Prairies, Rodgers said it’s rare in Ontario — though it’s far from unheard of.
“Minus 20 is kind of the range we’re looking for here in Toronto, and it’s gotten down to -20 a few times in the last five years,” he said. “Maybe every two or three years we’ll see something like this.”
Rodgers said the cold poses a health risk. He said people should stay inside if possible and bundle up if not, because when it’s so cold, frostbite can develop on exposed skin within minutes.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
