Ottawa could see coldest temperature in 26 years
Ottawa's extremely cold January could reach a new level of cold Tuesday night, with potential record-breaking temperatures in the forecast.
Environment Canada is predicting temperatures will drop to between -27 C and -34 C Tuesday night, with wind chill values making it feel as cold as -40.
Wednesday morning could reach -31 C. If it does, that would be Ottawa's coldest temperature in 26 years.
"This is about as frigid and as snowy as it possibly can get in the Ottawa area,” Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips told CTV News Ottawa.
“And it’s the duration of the cold that is quite headline-making. You just don’t see that length of freezing that goes on for so long.”
The weather agency has issued several extreme cold warnings this month. Phillips said there have been 11 days this month colder than the coldest moment all of last winter.
Temperatures that cold can lead to frostbite developing within minutes on exposed skin. Ottawa Public Health has issued a frostbite warning for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
However, it could be worse if conditions were windier, Phillips noted.
"Mercifully, it’s without the wind chill,” he said. “The wind chill could make it -37 because the winds are rather light. If they had been stronger it would have been flesh-freezing weather in a matter of seconds.”
The frigid temperatures will continue throughout the day Wednesday. Expect sunshine and a high of -19 C, with the wind chill making it feel more like -23 C in the afternoon. The risk of frostbite will continue throughout the day.
Phillips said there is an end in sight for the frigid temperatures: February will be seasonable or even warmer than normal.
"Seasonable is balmy compared to what you've had."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
School police chief receives blame in Texas shooting response
The police official blamed for not sending officers in more quickly to stop the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting is the chief of the school system's small police force, a unit dedicated ordinarily to building relationships with students and responding to the occasional fight.

Fact check: NRA speakers distort gun and crime statistics
Speakers at the National Rifle Association annual meeting assailed a Chicago gun ban that doesn't exist, ignored security upgrades at the Texas school where children were slaughtered and roundly distorted national gun and crime statistics as they pushed back against any tightening of gun laws.
'Mom, you gotta carry on': 58-year-old Winnipegger inspired to graduate high school by late son
Fifty-eight-year-old Vivian Ketchum is set to receive her high school diploma at a graduation ceremony at the University of Winnipeg next month. It is a moment that is decades in the making.
Truth tracker: Does the World Economic Forum influence governments like Canada’s?
The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos was met with justifiable criticisms and unfounded conspiracy theories.
She smeared blood on herself and played dead: 11-year-old reveals chilling details of the massacre
An 11-year-old survivor of the Robb Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, Texas, feared the gunman would come back for her so she smeared herself in her friend's blood and played dead.
Girl told 911 'send the police now' as cops waited 48 minutes, official says
Students trapped inside a classroom with a gunman repeatedly called 911 during this week's attack on a Texas elementary school, including one who pleaded, 'Please send the police now,' as officers waited more than an hour to breach the classroom after following the gunman into the building, authorities said Friday.
Broken comet could trigger visible meteor shower Monday
Fragments of a comet broken nearly 30 years ago could potentially light up the night sky Monday as experts predict an 'all or nothing' spectacle.
Three Canadian cities rank among the world's best for work-life balance
A new report says Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto rank among the top 20 cities around the world when it comes to work-life balance.
Feds aiming to address airport 'bottlenecks' in time for summer travel season
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says the federal government is working with groups on the ground to resolve air travel 'bottlenecks' in time for a busy summer.