Residents of eastern Canada, from Quebec to Newfoundland and Labrador, are waking up Saturday morning to extreme cold weather.
People needing to be outdoors overnight have been advised to seek shelter and watch for frostbite as temperatures across much of eastern Canada are expected to be between -40°C and -50°C with wind chill.
Temperatures in Quebec are expected to drop to -30°C overnight — with a wind chill index of -45°C — and arctic weather is expected to last through Sunday.
Extreme cold warnings remain in effect across the Maritimes, with temperatures in the Halifax area expected to feel like -39°C through the morning.
Government and private agencies rushed Friday to provide shelter for vulnerable people in dozens of municipalities across Quebec and Atlantic Canada as conditions could cause frostbite to exposed skin within minutes.
The City of Montreal opened two temporary emergency warming centers for the homeless population this week, each of which can accommodate up to 50 people between 8 p.m. and 9 a.m. The centers are expected to close on Sunday.
Electricity demand record
In Quebec, a historic consumption peak was reached on Friday. Around 5:30 p.m., a peak demand of 42,701 megawatts (MW) was recorded by Hydro-Québec.
The previous historical consumption peak was around 40,500 MW in January 2022.
The state corporation asked its subscribers to take a few measures to reduce electricity consumption during the intense cold snap.
Quebecers are therefore invited to reduce the heating by one to two degrees Celsius, especially in unoccupied rooms in the house, and to use less hot water. They are also asked to reduce or postpone the use of major household appliances, particularly the clothes dryer and the dishwasher.
These saving gestures are particularly recommended on Saturday morning. Other advice from the Crown corporation is to sleep in.
Caution on the roads
The polar cold that crosses the province makes the roads more slippery and the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility calls for caution.
The lower the temperature, the more difficult it is to melt ice on the roads and the Ministry of Transport is keen for motorists to be aware of the risks.
In order to make the roads safer, the teams of the Ministère des Transports spread melting products, such as road salt, and then abrasives, such as stone, to increase the grip of the tires on the road.
But when the mercury dips below minus 15 degrees Celsius, it becomes very difficult to melt the ice, experts say.
Activity reports
The Carnaval de Québec postpones its opening to Saturday afternoon due to the cold.
The event, which was to start on Friday, had already been postponed to Saturday morning, before the organization chose to launch the festivities at 2 p.m.
This is also the case for the Ottawa-Gatineau Winterlude, whose opening scheduled for Friday has been postponed to Saturday at 10 a.m.
Several ski resorts continue to reduce their activities. Stoneham, Mont-Saint-Anne, Bromont, Mont-Blanc and Saint-Sauveur, among others, suspended their classes on Saturday.
In the Laurentians, Sommet Olympia, Sommet Edelweiss, Sommet Gabriel and Sommet Morin Heights, closed on Friday, will remain closed on Saturday. In Estrie, Mont Owl’s Head is closed.