A bone-chilling -63 C: that was the temperature in Snag, Yukon, on Feb. 3 back in 1947, making it the coldest temperature ever recorded in North America.
While the mercury isn’t forecast to dip that low this week, Environment Canada is warning that “over some portions of Northern Alberta, wind chill values are expected to be in the minus 45 to minus 50 range tonight,” prompting emergency officials to warn anyone heading outside to “bundle up.”
“Most people are familiar with how to stay warm and safe in the cold, but what we find is sometimes people are caught unprepared if they didn’t expect to be out in the cold for longer periods of time,” said Stuart Brideaux, public education officer with Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
“Be prepared if you’re venturing outside the city in particular, even if you’re maybe delayed on a highway for long periods of time. If that’s a concern, you need to make sure you’ve brought in extra layers of warm clothing for everybody in the vehicle, you’ve got a charged cellphone or ability to charge it and make sure people know where you are and when you’re expected to arrive.”
The forecast high in Edmonton on Monday is just -34 with the wind chill and -40 overnight, meaning exposed skin is at risk of frostbite within minutes.
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In Calgary, which is so far not under an extreme cold warning, the forecast high on Monday is around -32 with the wind chill and -37 overnight.
The frigid temperatures are also being blamed for a number of water main breaks because of frozen pipes, and although there are no official warnings in place for airline travellers in Alberta, the cold snap has also caused some flight delays — so air travellers are advised to check their flights before heading to the airport.
By Thursday, the forecast high for Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and Lethbridge is forecast to be between -7 C and – 10 C, although it’s expected to dip back down again to around -15 C for the weekend.
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