Frigid Weather Expected to Hit Eastern Canada This Week: Environment Canada

A pedestrian crosses a street in Halifax during a winter storm on Jan. 20, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese)

Frigid air from the polar vortex is making its way into eastern Canada, likely bringing with it the coldest winter temperatures yet seen in Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces.

According to Environment Canada on Jan. 31, the cold snap will bring the temperature down to frigid levels in these provinces, even in the daytime.

Toronto is expected to hit -13 C on Feb. 3 whereas cities such as Ottawa (-20 C), Montreal (-22 C), and Quebec City (-25 C) will also likely experience arctic-like temperatures.

Nighttime lows are forecast to hit -24 C in Toronto, while Ottawa (-31 C), Montreal (-28 C), and Quebec City (-32 C) are expected to go even lower.

Daytime highs in Fredericton will only reach -16 C on Feb. 4, similar to Halifax and Charlottetown, based on the latest forecast.

During the night, Fredericton will go further down to -21 C while Halifax is expected to stay the same. Charlottetown will drop two degrees to -18 C.

In an interview with Global News on Jan. 31, Climatologist David Phillips said the bitter cold weather is only a “one or two-day wonder.”

“It’s short-lived. That’s the beauty of it. [It] will be cold but the polar vortex is going to go back home and just give us a little teaser,” he said.

A polar vortex is a low-pressure system that spins and locks cold air near the North and South poles. Many times during winter in the northern hemisphere, the polar vortex will weaken, sending cold air southward with the jet stream, ushering the coldest air into Canada.

Phillips said it’s a mistake that some people think that the polar vortex “has arrived” when in reality it is all about dealing with cold air.

“We’re going to go from very balmy kind of conditions to bitter cold—some of the coldest temperatures,” he said.