It could feel like -23 on Saturday morning as arctic air moves into Toronto

A man walks through steam in the cold winter weather in Toronto, on Friday, February 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette (Nathan Denette/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Torontonians could wake up to temperature that will feel as cold as -23 on Saturday morning as a recent stretch of mild weather comes to a sudden end.

The temperature was expected to reach a high of 2 C on Friday before falling later in the day, when there is a 40 per cent chance of flurries.

By late Friday night, the temperature will drop to a low of -14 but feel closer to -21 with the wind chill.

Saturday will bring a daytime high of -9 C, with the wind chill making it feel as cold as -23 in the morning and -16 in the afternoon.

“It’s back into the freezer with sunshine, light winds and a high that won’t break out of the high minus single digits,” CP24 Meteorologist Bill Coulter says.

Coulter says that there is a “strong system” passing Toronto to the south on Friday.

He says that while the snow is likely to be “mostly relegated to the north shore of Lake Erie and areas to the south,” it is possible that there could be a messy afternoon commute in Toronto if the storm takes a slightly northern track.

North of Toronto, many areas are under an extreme cold warning, with wind chill values near -30 expected on Saturday morning.

“A cold front will move from north to south over the region this evening. Minimum temperatures near minus 20 combined with northerly winds up to 20 kilometres per hour will give wind chill values near minus 30 for several hours on Saturday morning,” Environment Canada said.

The federal agency noted that temperatures and wind chill values will begin to improve Saturday afternoon through Saturday night.

“Extreme cold puts everyone at risk,” Environment Canada said. “Dress warmly. Dress in layers that you can remove if you get too warm. The outer layer should be wind resistant.”

The extreme cold should lift on Sunday, with Environment Canada calling for a daytime high of 1 C.

But Coulter warns that we could see a messy mix of mild showers and some afternoon flurries early next week.

Temps are expected to see a high of plus 2 during the day and a low of -7 C during the night on Monday and Tuesday nights.