PUSH NEWS 24 INTERNATIONAL : January 3rd, 2023

The point at which cold gets dangerous is a higher temperature than you might think, especially if you live somewhere that frequently sees temperatures in the teens or lower. “It’s safe to be outside if the temperature is 32°F or above,” says David A. Greuner, MD, FACS, co-founder and director of NYC Surgical. “If the temperature falls between 13°F and 31°F, you should take breaks from the cold approximately every 20 to 30 minutes. If wind chill temperatures are 13°F and below, you should remain indoors.” Wind chill measures the true danger of weather conditions by factoring in how the low temperature and wind speed combine to remove heat from an exposed human face.

Across the country, Canadians are turning up the thermostat as frigid temperatures and snow squalls creep in.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, as of Thursday morning there were extreme cold or winter storm warnings active from coast to coast, with the harshest extreme cold warnings stretching from northern Alberta all the way to Nova Scotia.

Regions of British Columbia are expecting significant snowfall, with Peace River set to receive 25-50 centimetres by Saturday morning.

In Fort McMurray, Alta., the wind chill will make the air feel like -40 degrees Celsius by Thursday afternoon.

On the other side of the country, residents of Halifax are bracing for an arctic airmass to strike on Friday, bringing with it a windchill value of -35 to -42 C, according to Environment Canada.

A map of alerts and warnings on the agency’s website shows a wide band of red warnings stretching from B.C. to the Atlantic provinces. There are warnings in place across all of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, with the vast majority of Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario covered in winter warnings as well.

This cold snap is in part due to a wave of cold from the Arctic’s polar vortex descending on Eastern Canada between Thursday night and Friday, according to climatologists.

“We’ll see temperatures that are really, brutally cold,” Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips said.