HELL FREEZES OVER 
NOPE IT'S JUST THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES

ALERTS IN EFFECT

Extreme Cold Warning

Issued at 20:33 Sunday 12 January 2020

A multi-day episode of very cold wind chills continues.

Wind chill values of minus 40 to 50 will continue through most of the week. 

Some brief moderation in wind chill may occur during the afternoon hours.

###

Extreme cold puts everyone at risk.

Watch for cold related symptoms: shortness of breath, chest pain, 
muscle pain and weakness, numbness and colour change in fingers and toes.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. 

To report severe weather, send an email to ABstorm@canada.ca
 or tweet reports using #ABStorm.

WARNINGS ISSUED AS COLD INTENSIFIES

Environment Canada has issued extreme cold warnings for central and northern Alberta and parts of western Saskatchewan as a result of the deepening cold. Frigid and dangerous temperatures will persist next week with the Arctic air in place. As the week progresses, warnings may be expanded to other regions.

The intense cold is a result of a cross-polar flow that is pulling in some of the chilliest air in the Northern Hemisphere. With the deep freezes comes the risk for frostbite, so it is recommended to limit your time outdoors to avoid exposure and symptoms from the cold air.



"Watch for cold-related symptoms: Shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain and weakness, numbness and colour change in fingers and toes. If it's too cold for you to stay outside, it's too cold for your pet to stay outside," Environment Canada warns. "Outdoor workers should take regularly scheduled breaks to warm up."

Next week daytime highs will approach or exceed -30°C for much of the region, with wind chills making them feel like the -30s and even into the -40s for some areas. The City of Edmonton could potentially set a new record low Tuesday, as temperatures are forecasted to hit -33°C (wind chill making it feel like -41°C), which would break the old record of -28.3°C from 2005.

To put it into perspective, Edmonton could be among the coldest places on Earth Tuesday, comparable to two other regions known for their extremely frigid air -- Yellowknife, N.W.T. and Yakutsk, Russia.



A couple of systems next week are expected to bring periods of mostly light snow, but strong winds at times will produce extensive blowing snow and dangerous wind chills.

Stay tuned to The Weather Network for the latest forecast updates.