Winter’s full force has hit parts of Canada, and residents are facing a mixed bag of cold air, wind and snow into the weekend.
Three provinces in the Prairies faced weather advisories and warnings Friday, with parts of Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador under alerts as well.
Here’s a look at where:
Snow, wind, cold air grip the Prairies
CTV Your Morning meteorologist Kelsey McEwen says a potent combination of freezing temperatures, powerful winds and heavy snow is causing wintry, treacherous conditions.
Calgary is feeling the chill with temperatures dropping 12 C colder Friday afternoon compared to yesterday, McEwen said, and though conditions will stay very cold through the weekend, they are expected to warm up next week.
Heavy snow will plague communities in Alberta’s north, along and north of the Yellowhead Highway, McEwen said.
Southern Manitoba experienced poor visibility due to snowfall and blowing snow as strong northerly winds developed in the wake of a cold front. The wind and snow tapered late Friday but most of Manitoba remained under an extreme cold warning.
Across southern Saskatchewan, including Moose Jaw and Regina, widespread poor visibility in blowing snow plagued highway travel Friday morning with northerly winds gusting up to 70 km/h. As of Friday evening, Environment and Climate Change Canada had extreme cold warnings in place for large portions of central and northern Saskatchewan.
Polar air to spread across Eastern Canada
The polar jet stream has shifted southward, bringing arctic air not only to Canada but deep into the United States.
As of Friday morning, the jet stream was over the Gulf of Mexico, McEwen said, which means cold air arrives in northwestern Ontario Saturday and the rest of the province by Sunday.
It will travel towards Atlantic Canada by Tuesday and Wednesday, according to McEwen.
Areas as far south as Florida will also be bracing for unusually cold weather, with single-digit highs in Orlando and even the possibility of snow in New Orleans, McEwen said.
In areas in northern Ontario, snow was heavy at times with total snowfall ranging between 10 to 15 centimetres before tapering to light flurries Friday night.
Environment and Climate Change Canada warns that reduced visibility may present hazards for travellers.
In southwestern Newfoundland and Labrador, a special weather statement was issued for areas like Burgeo and Channel-Port aux Basques and the vicinity. The statement said rainfall between 40 to 70 millimetres is expected Sunday.
“The frozen ground has reduced ability to absorb this rainfall,” the statement read.
Mild temperatures will accompany the rain and gust winds may cause tree branches to break, it warned.
Blizzard conditions for Nunavut
In Arviat and Baker Lake, blizzard conditions developed Thursday night and continued into Friday with zero visibility in blowing snow due to wind gusts in excess of 80 km/h. Wind chill values reached near -57 in Baker Lake and -46 in Arviat, Friday.
In Gjoa Haven, communities should gear up for a period of very cold wind chills nearing -55 Friday night into Saturday.
What is a polar vortex?
A polar vortex is a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding each of the Earth’s poles, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Typically, during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, the polar vortex will expand, sending cold air southward and often resulting in outbreaks of arctic air across Canada and into the United States.
The NOAA notes that it’s the current of winds at the edge of the polar vortex, known as the polar jet stream, that plays a big role in our day-to-day winter weather in the mid-latitudes, not the vortex itself.
When the polar vortex picks up in strength, the polar jet stream stays further north, and at the surface, this “stable stratospheric state” is linked to an even colder than usual Arctic. When that stable state is disrupted, and the cold air spreads south, much more of the country is impacted.
CTV’s Ryan White contributed to this report
