Extreme Cold Alert Still in effect in Western Canada | The Canadian News

Freezing temperatures and arctic air have left most western provinces shivering with icy winds dropping to -55 ° C, forcing ski hills to shut down and even keeping skating rink owners at bay. inside.

“We play a lot of board games and watch movies,” said Lance Glor, who has a skating rink in his Edmonton backyard for his four children.

“It is quite difficult. Anything less than -20, putting someone on the track is dangerous. “

Environment Canada said that all of Alberta and most of British Columbia and Saskatchewan, along with parts of Manitoba and Ontario, are under extremely cold weather warnings.

Wind chill can range from -40 C to -55 C in Edmonton and Calgary, he said.

Many of the ski hills in and around Edmonton and Calgary, as well as in the Rocky Mountains, have already been closed for several days due to extreme cold.

Edmonton Nordic Ski Club’s Paul Klann said people can still cross-country ski. But even on the city’s popular Nordic trails at Goldbar Park, which is close to Klann’s home, the bitter cold seems to keep people away.

“On Christmas Day, we don’t usually see a lot of people here, but when Boxing Day comes around you start to see a few more, and the numbers are definitely lower,” said Klann, a former member of the national biathlon team.

“It depends on everyone’s comfort level. I ski at almost any temperature, really. You just have to dress for it. “

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Environment Canada said cold, arctic air remains entrenched over western and central Saskatchewan with freezing winds down to -45 C.

Arctic outflow winds and low temperatures have also been forecast for much of British Columbia, with mercury declining near or below -20 C, he said. The extreme cold could linger into next week, the agency added.

The colder temperatures have been a boon for Iceville, Prairies’ largest outdoor rink, which is being built for the second year in a row at Regina’s Mosaic Stadium, which opens at noon on New Years Eve.

Mark Rathwell of the Regina Exhibition Association, which operates the stadium, said there was some freezing and thawing when teams were building the track last year. But this year, it’s been cold since they started building it two weeks ago.

Creating a skating rink in a field takes a lot of work because the field is built higher in the middle for it to drain. They have to build a lot of ice sheets, starting from the outside in, he explained.

“This year, the ice makers told us we had ideal conditions,” Rathwell said with a laugh. “It was cold.”

Many cities in western Canada have already opened emergency shelters and warming centers for people who cannot stay outdoors, including Vancouver, where Monday was -11. That’s almost a record low for the city, which was established in 1971 when it dropped to -12.8 degrees.

Edmonton officials said Monday they would suspend the removal of nonessential snow due to extreme cold, noting it was risky for employees, contractors and their equipment.

Extremely cold temperatures were still heading to the Winnipeg area Monday, including Oakbank, east of the capital, where Andrew Mead said his two sons, ages 5 and 7, have been enjoying the backyard curling rink of the family.

It was still a relatively nice -10 there on Monday, but a steep drop was predicted to occur overnight, and it will continue to drop later in the week when Mead and her family rent an A-frame cabin in Riding Mountain National Park.

“As long as you’re warm and dressed well, it’s amazing to be outside on cold days,” he said. “We don’t care at all.”