Make sure to pack on some extra thick layers this week, because a bitterly cold Arctic outbreak is set to bring some of the coldest winter conditions we’ve seen in Ontario in recent years.
According to The Weather Network, this icy blast is one of the most “notable and widespread” outbreaks across North America since 2014, and it’s expected to arrive in full force.
The most extreme weather will hit Ontario starting Monday and Tuesday when temperatures in parts of northern Ontario will drop as low as -50 C with the wind chill.
To get a sense of how cold that is, the median surface temperature on Mars is -65C, so parts of the province won’t be far behind the Red Planet’s deep freeze.
The weather agency warns that these bone-chilling temperatures will bring the risk of frostbite in a matter of a few minutes, as well as life-threatening situations for anyone who is unprepared.
If you’re planning on travelling in Ontario, be wary of poor visibility during periods of snow and slippery road conditions from icy surfaces.
Snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably. #ONwx https://t.co/iE6HqklBJn
— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) January 20, 2025
The outbreak will bring snow squalls with it, with parts of southern Ontario potentially seeing more than 30 centimetres of accumulation.
Toronto will also feel the impact of the polar vortex, with Tuesday’s daytime high (yes, high) of -14 C being the city’s coldest daytime high since January 2019. Believe it or not, these temperatures aren’t actually record-breaking, but according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), they’re certainly “below” normal for this time of year.
“We don’t have an extreme cold warning in effect, because the threshold for an extreme cold weather warning in Toronto and the GTA is -30 C,” the department said in a statement to blogTO. “People need to bundle up regardless, whether we have an extreme cold warning out or not.”
Significant Weather Outlooks for Ontario 👇
🥶 Extreme cold over much of the province through Wednesday.
❄️ Lake effect snow east of Lake Huron & Georgian Bay through Wednesday, and then northeast of Lake Superior beginning Wednesday.#ONstorm #ONwx pic.twitter.com/iihERObWRJ
— ECCC Weather Ontario (@ECCCWeatherON) January 19, 2025
On Tuesday, Toronto will see an overnight of -20 C, which will feel like -30 C with the wind chill. On Wednesday, we’ll see a daytime high of -11 C and a low of -19 C, although it’ll still feel like -29 C.
By Thursday, things will finally warm up a bit, and by Saturday, temperatures will be a lot more tolerable, when we’ll see a daytime high of -2 C and a low of -6 C.
