OTTAWA -- The first long weekend of the year will be the coldest weekend of the year in Ottawa.
And Environment Canada’s top weather forecaster predicts the Family Day weekend weather might be winter’s “last hurrah” before things slowly get warmer.
“It’s really the combination I think of the Siberian express, the polar vortex, the La Nina – bring them all together. It’s the coldest moment of the winter,” said Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips.
The Environment Canada forecast calls for a low of -23C Thursday night, which would be the coldest temperature recorded in Ottawa this winter. Daytime highs will be 10 degrees below normal on Friday and Saturday.
Ottawa Public Health has issued a Frostbite Advisory for Ottawa until further notice.
“It’s the coldest moment of the winter, and tomorrow morning I think will be the coldest moment in Ottawa when we see temperatures of -23C, a wind chill of minus 30, a high of -14C – that’s about 10 degrees colder than it should be,” said Phillips on Newstalk 580 CFRA’s The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll.
“I think that’s the low point of the winter, things get a little bit better slowly after that.”
Phillips told Newstalk 580 CFRA that today and Friday will be the first time this winter that the entire country will be below 0C.
The coldest temperature recorded in Ottawa so far this winter was -22.2C back on Feb. 1.
Phillips says this is a typical polar vortex weather system, with sustained cold weather.
“It’s Siberia. This cold is coming from Siberia; not from Alaska or the Yukon, but from Siberia. The other thing too, is its going way south down to Louisiana, Texas. The whole continent is cooler than normal,” said Phillips.
“The other thing about the polar vortex that really makes this a true polar vortex is the duration. It’s like cold air that’s like malaises.”
Phillips says Ottawa typically has 14 days where the temperature is below -20C.
“You’ve had two of those suckers, so clearly it has been milder than normal.”
Phillips said he expects it will be another 18 days before temperatures get to the melting point.
“This may be winter’s last hurrah. Our models are saying from late February into March, we think in the Ottawa Valley we see it being normal to milder than normal.”
