Montreal could experience its coldest night in two decades
If you go out at night from Friday to Saturday, you will have to fasten your toques. Igloofest goers, night shift workers and early risers could face freezing cold, as the temperature is expected to dip to -30°C with a feeling of below -40°C.
If the mercury really drops below -30°C on February 3, it will be a first since January 2004 for Montreal. Some weather forecast sites are forecasting what feels like -41°C.
In February, these symbolic -30°C have not been reached since 1993. Such temperatures are rare in Montreal. On February 3, the coldest record, located at -31 °C, was recorded almost 70 years ago in 1955. In the 1980s, three winters experienced -30 °C, compared to two in the 1990s, only one in the 2000s and none in the 2010s.
Despite this cold spell, this winter is characterized for the moment by its mildness. January is expected to be one of the mildest on record and December 2022 was the sixth mildest since 1973.
The cold spell should not last more than a few days and temperatures will quickly return to seasonal norms. In northern Quebec, temperatures felt like -52°C could be reached overnight from Friday to Saturday.
Environment Canada reminds the public of the symptoms of hypothermia, frostbite and superficial frostbite. For the first, it is manifested by tremors, a state of confusion and fainting. Keep the person warm and call for help.
Superficial frostbite is characterized by pain or numbness, while frostbite makes the skin hard and waxy in appearance. fair-skinned people. Seek medical help and warm the affected area with body heat or lukewarm water. Frostbite can worsen until amputation.
