It’s going to feel like -40 C in parts of Ontario next week as polar vortex sweeps in

Since the start of the new year, Toronto and much of Ontario have been enduring uncomfortably frigid temperatures, and unfortunately, things are about to get worse.

A powerful polar vortex is quickly making its way across North America, and the icy temperatures will soon take aim at parts of Canada, including Ontario, where certain areas might see wind chills as bad as -40 C.

According to a recent report from The Weather Network, one of the most “notable and widespread Arctic outbreaks” that we have seen across North America since 2014 is set to arrive next week.

The Arctic air mass from Siberia is set to chill the Prairies, continuing all the way to north Mexico before spreading all the way east to Florida and the Atlantic region by early next week. As a result, much colder-than-normal temperatures will sweep across North America, including northern Ontario.

“That won’t be the coldest weather that we have seen in 10 years at most locations, but it is most unusual to see so much of North America with such an extreme cold anomaly for a five-day period,” the report reads. Still, the polar vortex will be one of the most widespread Arctic air outbreaks in recent history.

Sunday and Monday will bring the coldest air of the season by far to southern and eastern Ontario. Toronto’s Pearson Airport will see overnight lows of -18 C on Monday night, with a wind chill in the -20s C.

According to The Weather Network’s 14-day forecast, Toronto will see a high of -15 C, and at its coldest point, the weather will feel like -28 C. Temperatures will remain frosty on Wednesday, when it’ll feel like -23 C in the morning, and -16 C at night. Thankfully, the arctic weather will slowly fade away as we head into Thursday and the weekend.

Still, the weather agency warns that the icy weather will present a risk of frostbite and hypothermia if adequate precautions are not taken, so make sure to bundle up, pack on some extra layers and avoid spending extended time outdoors, if possible.