A significant drop in temperatures is anticipated across Canada this weekend, except for the mild southwest region of British Columbia, where cherry blossoms are blooming early. Cold weather warnings have been issued from Prince Edward Island to eastern Alberta, with temperatures in some Prairie areas feeling as low as -55°C with wind chill due to an Arctic airmass settling in.
The frigid conditions are attributed to a polar vortex, a pool of cold air typically situated over the Arctic that occasionally weakens, allowing Arctic air to move southward, as explained by ECCC meteorologist Trudy Kidd. The cold snap is expected to persist through the weekend, with southern Ontario also facing a snowstorm that could bring 20-30 centimeters of snow on Sunday.
In the Prairies, eastern Alberta is forecasted to experience wind chill values of -40°C to -45°C throughout the weekend, while all of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, along with parts of northwestern Ontario, are under orange alerts due to cold temperatures with wind chill values ranging from -45°C to -50°C. Winnipeg has been dealing with extreme cold, leading to school closures and challenges for emergency services and winter recreation centers.
In eastern Canada, northwestern Ontario is facing temperature lows as cold as -48°C, with other areas like Thunder Bay operating mobile warming centers. Southern Ontario, Quebec, and parts of the Atlantic provinces are under weather warnings with wind chill making it feel as low as -35°C to -50°C, accompanied by snowfall in some regions.
ECCC advises residents to prepare for the extreme cold by having emergency kits, watching for signs of frostbite, and ensuring proper vehicle maintenance during the cold snap. Despite the regional cold snap, it is important to note that climate change is determined by long-term global trends, and short-term weather events do not disprove global warming.