Environment Canada is warning of extremely frigid weather overnight in Ottawa and across a large swath of the wider region.
The yellow-level warning, the lowest on Environment Canada’s new three-colour severity scale, was issued mid-afternoon Sunday.
It forecasts overnight windchill values of –30 to –35 around the area.
Frostbite can develop “within minutes on exposed skin” at those temperatures, the weather agency said.
In Ottawa, the overnight low sits at –28 C, with the wind making it feel more like –33.
For Monday, the agency has forecasted wind chill values of –33 in the morning, –16 in the afternoon, and –20 at night.
How to protect yourself
Health Canada recommends that people dress in layers with a wind-resistant outer layer, protecting extremities like your hands, feet, ears and nose and keeping moving to encourage blood flow.
It also recommends wearing sunglasses, sunscreen and lip balm on sunny days to protect skin from windburn. The agency also says not to drink alcohol because it can trick you into thinking you’re warmer than you are.
Community responses to these kinds of cold conditions vary by municipality or county. Many places encourage people to warm up in community spaces such as libraries in the day, and some cities like Belleville and Cornwall have opened dedicated overnight warming centres.
The City of Ottawa maintains a map of places where people can warm up during an extreme cold spell. Anyone seeking a shelter referral or who’s trying to get someone else out of the cold can call 311.
For medical emergencies like hypothermia, call 911.