'White walkers': Edmontonians survive cold snap like true northerners
CBC News | Posted: January 1, 2018 3:56 PM | Last Updated: January 1, 2018
Hardy city dwellers braved the icy temperatures like true northerners
Edmontonians are a hardy people and they found a way to survive, even thrive, during a cold snap which has put the Prairies in a deep freeze for more than a week.
Temperatures have hovered around the –30 C mark since Christmas Day as an Arctic cold air mass moves across western Canada.
On Monday, Edmonton remained colder than both the North Pole and the South Pole, with bone-chilling winds that made it feel closer to –40 C.
It was so cold that people from other countries started seeking advice from Edmontonians on how to endure winter.
On Thursday, someone from Philadelphia, Reddit user Throwaway4philly1, posted on the Edmonton subreddit asking how city residents survive the cold.
'Vengeful ghosts and White Walkers'
The question led one Edmontonian to jokingly divulge that the city is actually a wasteland of frozen zombies.
"We all died of frostbite years ago, and the city is filled with nothing but vengeful ghosts and White Walkers," wrote PureFicti0n.
"We all died of frostbite years ago, and the city is filled with nothing but vengeful ghosts and White Walkers," wrote PureFicti0n.
Despite the record low temperatures, Edmontonians found a way to endure the deep freeze. As one Reddit user remarked, there is a lot to love about Edmonton's frigid habitat, which happens to provide protection from other natural hazards.
"No poisonous snakes and spiders, no earthquakes or hurricanes, rare tornadoes," Jorrylee rejoiced. "Sunlight from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. in summer. And space. Miles upon miles of nobody. There's lots to love."
The extreme temperatures forced the cancellation of the city's outdoor New Year's Eve celebrations on Sunday. The fireworks show went on outside, but the rest of the festivities moved indoors.
Despite the cold, a few brave New Year's Eve revellers bundled up and braved the outdoors for a frozen welcome to 2018.
Outdoor enthusiasts relied on their long johns and plenty of layers to avoid becoming a blistered and frostbitten ice block while exploring Edmonton's river valley.
After all, surviving winter is mostly about sacrificing looking good in order to stay warm and safe.
Throwing water into the air — and watching it instantly freeze into tiny ice pellets — became a popular pastime during the cold snap, and resulted in some cinematic moments.
In one bizarre outing, a group of Edmonton athletes took their martial arts class outside for a frozen round of karate chops in the snow. Some Edmontonians decided to light up their BBQ grills for some hot steak.
If it's any consolation, Edmonton will finally get some relief from the teeth-chattering cold on Monday.
An extreme cold weather warning from Environment Canada is expected to be lifted in the capital region by late afternoon, when temperatures are expected to reach a relatively balmy –9 C.