Ontario dealing with a deep freeze

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Every corner of Ontario, including the GTA, remains under an extreme cold warning on Friday, with the windchill producing lows in the -35 to -40 range.

Environment Canada calls for a “prolonged period of very cold wind chills” with northwest winds up to 50 km/h.

680 NEWS meteorologist Jill Taylor says the high in the GTA will be -16 C but it will feel like -36 C with the wind. With the bitter cold temperatures, frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin.

Friday was also the coldest Jan. 5 on record. At 4 a.m., the temperature at Pearson International Airport dropped to -21.9 C, beating -20.6 C set in 1959.

The weather agency says temperatures and windchills will be slightly lower by nightfall, but the extreme cold will continue until Saturday.

There will be some reprieve from the cold on Sunday with some snow in the forecast.

Meanwhile, the City of Toronto opened two more warming centres on Thursday night — one at Metro Hall and the other at the Regent Park Community Centre. The centres, which aim to provide relief for the homeless, will remain open for the duration of the extreme cold weather alert.

Federal Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Ralph Goodale says federal officials are trying to find the most effective solution as quickly as possible, to help ease the strain on Toronto’s homeless shelter system as temperatures plunge.

Toronto Mayor John Tory has requested that a federal armoury be opened up as a shelter for the homeless.

Premier Kathleen Wynne says her government is working closely with Toronto and has reached out to other municipalities that could also be affected by the frigid weather.

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