A prolonged period of extreme wind chills was forecast for the Ottawa and Gatineau areas by Environment Canada on Saturday.
An advisory issued in late afternoon predicted wind chills near -35 C overnight and leading into Sunday morning and likely again on Sunday night into Monday morning.
As of mid-evening Saturday, the temperature in Ottawa was expected to slide down to -24 C overnight, followed by a rise to -14 C as the daytime high and another drop to -23 C on Sunday night.
Relatively warmer weather, with daytime temperatures as high as -5 C and nighttime lows of about -10, were expected to arrive in the National Capital Region by Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Environment Canada wind chill advisory also contained tips on how to endure the extra-frosty conditions:
- Watch for cold-related symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain and weakness, numbness and colour change in fingers and toes.
- Cover up. Frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin.
- Check on older family, friends and neighbours.
- If it’s too cold for you to stay outside, it’s also too cold for your pet to stay outside.
- Watch for colour changes on fingers and toes, pain, numbness, a tingling sensation, or swelling. If present, move indoors and begin warming.
- Outdoor workers should take regularly scheduled breaks to warm up.
Extreme cold puts everyone at risk, the weather agency said, adding that those risks were greater for young children, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, people working or exercising outdoors and those without proper shelter.
