Published on January 10, 2024 at 10:20 p.m.
The first real phase of the Arctic cold storm will not only affect the Canadian prairies, but also extend into Texas. And Quebec in all this? Details.
The first time since the start of the season
Starting Friday, the Canadian prairies will have to endure the vagaries of the first cold snap since the start of meteorological winter: a gigantic plunge of Arctic air will extend as far as Texas. Obviously, temperatures in the southern states will not be as cold as in the north or even in the Canadian provinces.
However, this situation deserves full attention as more than 250 million people on the North American continent will be affected by the polar cold. Temperatures range between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius below seasonal norms.
Up to -50 in feel
The temperatures expected in western Canada will send goosebumps down your spine. In Alberta, high temperatures will struggle to break -30 degrees Celsius. For Edmonton, for example, a maximum of -32 degrees Celsius is expected on Friday. If so, it would be the first time since 1966.
As for Calgary, the city has not recorded a temperature of -31 degrees Celsius since 1989. The freezing weather is accompanied by a wind chill that can feel like -50 degrees Celsius at times.
“The Canadian prairies are particularly vulnerable to arctic cold due to their continental climate. You should know that proximity to the oceans provides humidity and moderates the climate, further limiting temperature extremes. For this reason, cities like Halifax or Vancouver generally experience milder temperatures. Conversely, extremes are particularly common in the prairies. When the cold hits the prairies, it does not interact with the softer and moister air that surrounds the oceans and therefore provides all its bite,” points out Kevin Cloutier, meteorologist.
Will Quebec experience this severe cold?
The answer is simple: we're doing pretty well. The polar vortex descends first over the prairies and then over the middle of the continent. As a result, Quebec will not suffer the same impact as the regions first affected: we are, broadly speaking, in the remnants of the vortex that has become less bite-sized.