Northwestern Ontario deep freeze to continue until end of January
Residents can expect a few days of seasonal respite
Those hoping for a break in the region's extremely cold weather will need to wait a little longer, an Environment Canada meteorologist said Saturday.
"An arctic airmass has basically invaded Northwestern Ontario and southern Ontario this weekend, and [is] just really plunging most of Ontario into the deep freeze," said warning preparedness meteorologist Peter Kimbell.
On Friday night, temperatures in the region dropped to about –35 C. With the wind chill, that felt as cold as –40 to –45, according to the Environment Canada weather alerts page.
Nearly all of Ontario remained under extreme cold warnings on Saturday afternoon.
More of the same is expected Saturday night, Kimbell said, with the wind chll reaching as low as –45.
That, he said, can cause "frostbite in minutes."
Temporary relief
Kimbell said there will be temporary relief Monday and Tuesday, when temperatures will return to seasonal — which for Thunder Bay is a high of –9 C and a low of –20 C.
Kimbell said the high is expected to reach about –11 C on Monday and –7 C on Tuesday, with a bit of snow mixed in.
The cold will be back by late in the week, he said, when temperatures will fall to around –25 C on Thursday and Friday.
That's a pattern, Kimbell said, that will continue for several days.
"Northwestern Ontario will remain entrenched in the arctic air [until] the end of the month, with every couple of days a bit of a reprieve," he said.