Bundle up! Temperatures expected to plummet Saturday night as polar vortex moves into area
CBC
Find your tuque and mittens — you're going to need them.
Temperatures are expected to drop throughout southern Ontario, including Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County, throughout the day Saturday as a polar vortex moves down into the area.
Steven Flisfeder is a warning preparedness meteorologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada who says people will want to bundle up when going outside for the next several days.
"Saturday night into Sunday, you'll start to see those temperatures drop," he told CBC News in an interview.
"Those are going to drop to around the –10 C to –15 C range Saturday into Sunday morning and it's not going to rise much above –10 C through Sunday. So it's really a much longer period of cold that we're expecting."
He said a polar vortex is an area of very cold temperatures that originate in the Arctic.
"It's always present throughout the year, but it becomes a bit more pronounced through the winter. And depending on how the air flow streams are forecasted to flow, it can sometimes be pulled as far south as Ontario, sometimes even farther south," he said.
People in the region should expect a prolonged period of very cold temperatures, he warned.
"If you expect to be outside for any period of time, you should really be thinking about bundling up, wearing layers, wearing hats, mitts, scarves, anything you can think of to protect exposed skin," Flisfeder said.
"If you can limit your time outside or outdoors, that's even better. The longer you're outside, the longer the exposure and the higher the risk."
He noted Environment and Climate Change Canada will issue an extreme cold warning when the temperature or wind chill hits –30 C or lower.
The Region of Waterloo will also issue an extreme cold warning when the temperature or wind chill is expected to reach –30° C for at least two hours.
Region of Waterloo Public Health reminds people on its website that exposed skin can freeze in as little as 10 minutes.
"Exposure to these temperatures and wind chill may result in frostbite or hypothermia," public health says.
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