It’s an excuse to stay in and cuddle up with someone you love this Valentine's Day weekend – Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold warning for much of Quebec.

The high for Saturday will be -24C in the Montreal area, but with the wind chill it will feel like between -38C and -46C into the overnight period. The forecast is the same for much of southern Quebec.

And if that wasn’t enough, the wind gusts are blowing around the few centimetres of snow that fell Friday night.

It’s expected to be more of the same for Sunday – the forecast high of -16C will be accompanied by winds gusting to 40 km/h, making it feel like -41C.

Environment Canada issues extreme cold warnings when very cold temperatures or wind chill create elevate the risks of health issues such as frost bite and hypothermia.

The agency advises Canadians who have to be outside while the warning is in effect to:

  • Wear layers (synthetic and wool fabrics provide the best insulation),
  • Wear warm socks, gloves, a hat and scarf
  • Cover your nose
  • Change into dry clothing as soon as possible if you get wet.

Lac Benoit, Que., clocked the coldest temperatures in the country on Saturday morning, coming in at a chilly -46.3 C. Temperatures are expected to get back to seasonal by Monday afternoon.