Montreal Weather Will Be Intensely Cold Overnight With Wind Chill Potentially Minus 40
Temperatures might reach the coldest they've been since 2004 – or earlier.
Batten down the hatches, everybody, tonight's going to be another very, very frigid one. An extreme cold warning has been issued for the Montreal area Friday night into Saturday morning. Environment Canada anticipates that Montreal can expect wind chills of minus 38 C to minus 40.
Other regions affected are
- Châteauguay—La Prairie
- Laval
- Longueuil—Varennes
Though extreme cold warnings aren't uncommon during Montreal (and Quebec) winters, they still pose a real risk of frostbite, hypothermia, and even death, in cases of prolonged exposure.
On Friday Montreal police confirmed there was a death in the city overnight, with reports indicating it was the second death of a homeless person from exposure in Montreal this month. A man living in an encampment in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce died in the extreme cold on January 10.
If you simply must go out, Environment Canada advises bundling up. "Frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin, especially with wind chill," their warning page notes.
Temperatures will remain low well into Saturday morning. "Montreal could flirt with its coldest temperature since 2004 by Saturday morning," The Weather Network said on their site. "The cold will stick around well into next week, though thankfully without any significant snow threats in the immediate future."
Environment Canada data shows the coldest temperature recorded at Trudeau International Airport was minus 28.3 in 1976, and are forecasting an overnight low Friday into Saturday of minus 29.
Hydro-Québec also chimed in about the oncoming weather, warning that Friday night in to Saturday morning could see record-breaking energy consumption in the province.
"Hydro-Québec is asking the population to voluntarily use less electricity on Friday, January 21, throughout the day, and during the morning of Saturday, January 22, 2022," Hydro-Québec posted on its website, recommending that Quebecers turn down their thermostats by one or two degrees and avoid using major appliances like the dishwasher and dryer.
