Extreme cold temperatures across Quebec, East Coast expected to linger until Sunday

Residents from Quebec to Newfoundland and Labrador are waking up this morning to more extreme cold weather.

Emergency officials warned people to seek shelter and monitor for frostbite if they had to be outside overnight, as the temperature across much of Eastern Canada was expected to feel like -40 C to -50 C with the wind chill.

Temperatures in Quebec City were forecast to fall to -30 C overnight -- with a wind chill index of -45 -- and the arctic weather was expected to last until Sunday.

Extreme cold warnings remain in effect across the East Coast, with temperatures in the Halifax area expected to feel like -39 C through the morning.

Carlos Hebert Plante boogie boards on the St. Lawrence River in Montreal on Friday, February 3, 2023. Carlos Hebert Plante boogie boards all year even on days like today where the temperature dipped to -26 C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bernard Brault

Government and private agencies scrambled on Friday to provide shelter for vulnerable people in scores of cities and towns in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, as conditions risked giving exposed skin frostbite in minutes.

The City of Montreal opened two temporary emergency warming centres, each of which can accommodate up to 50 people between 8 p.m. and 9 a.m. The centres are to close on Sunday.

Ice fog is shown on the St. Lawrence River during frigid temperatures in Montreal, Saturday, February 4, 2023. Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold weather warning for the region. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2023.