It's the coldest Feb. 4 in 100 years but it will get warmer
Ottawa is experiencing its coldest Feb. 4 in 100 years.
The temperature at 6 a.m. at was -32.2 C, according to environment Canada, the coldest it has been since 1923, when a temperature of -36.1 C was recorded.
An extreme cold warning was in effect most of the morning, but ended just after 11 a.m. Ottawa Public Health has also issued a frostbite warning.
The wind chill at 11 a.m. was -34. It was -40 at 7 a.m.
Despite the bone-chilling cold, warmer days are ahead. The weather forecast for the capital calls for a high of -14 C Saturday (which is typically the average low for this time of year) with a good chance of light snow in the afternoon.
The polar vortex should recede overnight as the temperature rises to -7 C by Sunday morning. Sunday's high is a relatively tropical 1 C, with about 2 to 4 cm of snow in the forecast.
Monday's outlook is sunny with a high of -6 C, and then clouds and snow return Tuesday with a high of 3 C. Wednesday could see a bit of sun and a high around 0.
WINTERLUDE EVENTS TO RESUME
Winterlude's outdoor winter attractions will open to the public Saturday, after the extreme cold weather cancelled all outdoor activities on the opening day of the winter festival in Ottawa and Gatineau.
Events are expected to be delayed.
TIPS TO PREVENT FROSTBITE
The extreme cold means exposed skin can freeze within minutes and frostbite is a very real risk.
Ottawa Public Health offers the following tips to prevent frostbite during the extreme cold temperatures.
- Get to a warm area before frostbite sets in. If it's too cold outside, consider staying indoors.
- Keep extra mittens and gloves in the car, house or school bag.
- Wear larger sized mittens over your gloves.
- Wear a hat.
- Wear a neck warmer to protect the chin, lips and cheeks.
- Wear waterproof winter boots with room for an extra layer of socks.
- Make sure you are able to wiggle your toes in your boots.
- Avoid drinking alcohol.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Canada's favourite sport to watch is hockey, survey shows
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs have already delivered a fever level of fan excitement in Canada.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
North Bay doctor accused of assaulting patient, threatening another
A North Bay doctor is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a patient with a weapon and threatening another person at the hospital, police say.