Extreme cold warnings envelop the National Capital Region
The second cold snap of the week is creeping into the Ottawa-Gatineau region, forecasters say, with temperatures well below normal leading to extreme cold warnings across the board.
Renfrew County is expected to face a longer stretch of cold with the wind making it feel like –35 as of 10 a.m. Friday in Petawawa. That wind chill could make it feel close to –40 overnight as the temperature nears –30 C.
The high of –18 C Saturday is by no means balmy (that's near Pembroke's average low for Jan. 15) but it brings a slight respite from the wind. Saturday night's wind chill is again expected to make it feel around –35 in that region.
Ottawa's wind chill should also hit –35 by Saturday evening, which follows an even colder Friday night and a slightly less cold Saturday.
This cold snap comes just a few days af ter Ottawa reached its coldest temperature since mid-January 2018.
Western Quebec's warnings call for the wind to make it feel like –40 Friday, but does not mention Saturday. The cold warnings for Kingston and Belleville call for the Friday night wind chill to make it feel like –30.
Temperatures this low mean people should cover as much exposed skin as they can, dress in layers — ideally a wind-resistant outer layer — and watch for cold-related health problems such as muscle pain, numb extremities and shortness of breath.
Sunday's highs are forecasted to be just slightly below normal rather than dangerously below. Snow is in the forecast for Monday.
