Edmonton isn’t alone in suffering through the current cold snap.
“It’s not just Alberta, it’s Saskatchewan, it’s Manitoba, it’s much of Canada,” said Dan Kulak, an Edmonton meteorologist with Environment Canada.
“Our American friends are certainly in it as well,” said Kulak. “We have winter weather advisories out for even west Texas.”
The continent-wide cold outbreak even means single-digit Celsius temperatures along the Gulf Coast of the U.S., he said.
Here motorists may find themselves with long waits for roadside assistance from the Alberta Motor Association because of the cold weather.
The wait for full towing, a boost, battery test or flat tire is about 16 hours, the AMA website states. A shorter wait, only four hours, is for a locksmith’s services or for key replacement.
Wind chill a factor
Unlike some other regions, there is not a lot of snow accompanying the cold weather across the Prairies, said Kulak.
An Arctic front is to blame for the drop in temperature that first slid across Alberta on Christmas Eve. It is expected to remain for the next week to 10 days, he said.
After that, temperatures will moderate to what’s “close to normal,” said Kulak.
Wind chill has been the problem here, said Kulak. Extreme cold warnings are issued when the temperature, or the wind chill, reaches the -40 C mark.
Nine regions across northern Alberta were included in the extreme cold warning issued for Wednesday.
Kulak said questions people should ask themselves under these cold weather conditions include: “Do I really need to go anywhere? Can I stay home?” People should “make the choice wisely,” he added.
It is possible to dress for this extreme weather, but Kulak cautions people to account for the wind when doing so.
Temperatures in Edmonton Wednesday morning hovered around -28 C when taking wind chill into account. (Rick Bremness/CBC)