From snow, to high winds, to extreme cold, much of Canada is under a severe weather alert this weekend.
Here’s what to expect in your region:
Conditions may change rapidly; for more information, and for important safety advice, seek out Environment Canada’s weather alerts portal, found here.
Newfoundland and Labrador
The southeastern tip of Labrador and the entirety of Newfoundland are under at least one weather alert as of Saturday morning, with warnings for wind and rainfall blanketing much of the island.
The Lodge Bay area of Labrador is under a winter storm watch, with Environment Canada cautioning snowfall may exceed 30 centimetres in higher terrain, with wind gusts of up to 90 km/h inland and 110 km/h along the coast, active from Sunday evening until Monday afternoon.
In Newfoundland, overlapping warnings are in effect across the island. In the north, wind and winter-storm warnings are listing snowfall of between 20 and 30 centimetres and gusts of up to 100 km/h. Wind warnings also cover the south-eastern portion of the province, with gusts reaching closer to 120 km/h near the coast. The eastern tip of the island is also subject to a rainfall warning of 30 to 50 millimetres.
A special weather statement lists varying amounts of snow and rainfall across the island, beginning early Sunday morning and lasting until Monday. In addition, flooding warnings are in place along the Atlantic coast, with higher than normal water levels and very large waves. Those in the area should beware of flooding, as well as coastal erosion. Affected seaside areas should be avoided.
The Maritimes
A winter storm warning is in effect for Inverness county and its vicinity in northern Nova Scotia, with snowfall between 20 and 30 centimetres, reaching up to 60 centimetres in the highlands. Wind gusts could reach 100 km/h, the Environment Canada warning reads.
Further south, a special weather statement is active for the remainder of Cape Breton island and parts of northern mainland Nova Scotia, with five to 15 centimetres of snow expected and wind gusts of between 70 and 90 km/h. Prince Edward Island carries a similar weather statement covering Sunday into Monday, with five to 15 centimetres of snow and 70 to 90 km/h wind gusts expected for the eastern half of the province.
The Magdalen Islands, located north of PEI and west of Cape Breton’s north coast, is under a separate weather statement, carrying expected snowfall of 15 to 20 centimetres of snowfall and 70 to 90 km/h gusts.
Environment Canada warns blowing snow may affect visibility and endanger travellers, who are advised to expect delays in reaching their destinations.
Quebec
Scattered alerts are active in parts of Quebec as of Saturday morning.
Along the eastern coast, near the Labrador border, a wind warning for gusts between 90 and 100 km/h is active. Further west along that same coast, winds will be less severe, with a special weather statement advising gusts of 80 to 90 km/h in the Natashquan, Que. area.
There is a blizzard warning in the far northern region of Kangiqsujuaq – Raglan Lake, where a combination of snow and 60 to 80 km/h winds are expected to create conditions of near-zero visibility. Outdoor activities should be limited.
Along the coast of James Bay, a winter storm warning is cautioning that 20 to 30 centimetres of snowfall is expected, with gusts of up to 70 km/h and concerns of blowing snow affecting visibility. Slightly south of there, at the Ontario border, snowfall will be lighter, but up-to-70 km/h winds are expected to produce poor or no visibility in the vicinity of Waskaganish, Que. Travel is expected to be hazardous, and should be postponed in non-essential cases while conditions remain severe.
Ontario
Much of southern Ontario is under snow squall alerts as of Saturday, stretching from the Kawartha Lakes area in the northeast, to Parry Sound, Ont. in the north, along the Georgian Bay and Lake Huron coasts of the Bruce Peninsula, down to Grand Bend, Ont., southwest of Stratford. Currently, the southern tip of the province, as well as the Niagara region and Greater Toronto Area, are not under an alert, but a snow squall watch is affecting the Kitchener-Waterloo area.
Exact conditions vary regionally, but snowfall is expected to range anywhere from 15 to 40 centimetres across the affected areas. Heavy and blowing snow are expected to create poor visibility conditions. Snow squalls will likely last from Saturday into Sunday.
Elsewhere in the province, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. is under a snow squall warning of 15 to 30 centimetres and reduced visibility. An extreme cold warning covers a wide region north of Thunder Bay, Atikokan and Fort Frances, Ont., with wind chills approaching -40 on Saturday morning. Along the James and Hudson’s Bay coasts, blowing snow advisories are in effect, with gusts of up to 80 km/h and poor visibility expected.
Manitoba
The entirety of Manitoba is under an extreme cold warning Saturday, with wind chill values expected to reach as low as -45 in the northern half of the province and -40 in the south. What Environment Canada describes as “bitterly cold weather” is expected to affect much of the Prairies over the course of the weekend, “moderating gradually” in Manitoba by Monday.
Saskatchewan
Extreme cold warnings cover the eastern half of Saskatchewan this weekend as well as the south-central and central-west regions, with wind chills as cold as -45 in the north and -40 in the south. Along with the entirety of Manitoba, the “bitterly cold weather” is expected to last through much of the weekend, gradually warming from west to east, starting Sunday.
Alberta
An extreme cold warning is affecting parts of Alberta’s central-east border with Saskatchewan, carrying potential wind chills of -40 that are expected to relax as the morning progresses.
In the south, near Lethbridge, Alta., a snowfall warning of 10 to 15 centimetres is in effect. Due to heavy snowfall, visibility may suddenly worsen. Travellers are advised to drive carefully and to maintain a safe following distance on the roads.
British Columbia
The Fort St. John region is under an extreme cold warning that began late Friday night, with wind chill values near -40 that are expected to last into Saturday morning. Wind gusts near 20 km/h are also expected.
The Territories
Scattered warnings are in effect across Canada’s high north.
In Nunavut, the island community of Coal Harbour is under a blizzard warning, with gusts of up to 100 km/h, wind chills of -30 and zero visibility. Winds will begin to lessen Saturday night, and the blizzard is expected to end on Sunday.
In the Wekweeti area north of Yellowknife, an extreme cold warning is active, with wind chills of near -50, expected to continue into Monday. The same conditions are expected along the Mackenzie River around Wrigley and Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., as well as Deline, on the coast of Great Bear Lake, and further north in the are of Colville Lake.
Extreme cold is also expected in Yukon, north of Whitehorse along the Alaska border and north toward the Beaufort Sea. Wind chills of -45 and -50 are expected varying by region, with frostbite likely to set in within minutes of exposure. In some areas, gusts could reach up to 80 km/h, with visibility near zero.