Environment Canada issues extreme cold weather warnings for much of the country

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VANCOUVER  (NEWS 1130) – Environment Canada issued a slew of extreme cold warnings across the country on Tuesday.

In British Columbia, the agency warned that the Yoho Park and Kootenay Park region could see wind chills as low as -40 C due to a cold arctic ridge of high pressure that it predicts will remain over the region for several days.

Jonathan Bau, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, says there’ll be an interesting mix of weather in the Lower Mainland over the coming days.

“There’s always a battle between the cold air from the Interior and the warm air from the Pacific. And where they meet, depending on where it is over the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, we can see either snow or snow transitioning to rain, and then where they meet we’ll see an area of freezing rain.”

He says a weak system will likely bring a couple of centimetres of snow to the Lower Mainland into Wednesday, but the next “impactful” system bringing snow is expected to arrive in the Lower Mainland on Thursday.

Environment Canada says it issues extreme cold warnings when very cold temperatures or wind chill creates an elevated risk to health such as frost bite and hypothermia.

The agency is asking people to watch for symptoms related to the cold, including shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain and weakness, numbness and a change in the colour of the fingers and toes.

Much of Alberta, Manitoba and the entirety of Saskatchewan were subject to the warnings, and Environment Canada says the frigid temperatures are expected to continue through the end of the week.

Environment Canada issued the warning for parts of northern Ontario too, along with a snow squall warning for Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Southern Ontario was largely spared from the extreme cold, save for parts of southwestern Ontario surrounding the Georgian Bay.

In Quebec, the agency warned that the cold arctic air was moving southward on Christmas Day night and Boxing Day, and would continue to do so on Wednesday.

It said wind chills could reach -42 C in the province.

While the Atlantic provinces were largely spared from the extreme cold warnings, much of Newfoundland and Labrador was subject to wind and blizzard warnings, as well as blowing snow advisories.

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