Canadians were given one more reason to hate Mondays, as large parts of the country started the work week off in a deep freeze. But a senior climatologist says a return to more seasonable temperatures is on the way.
The Prairies and parts of Ontario and Quebec woke up Monday to frigid temperatures. Meanwhile, slightly milder temperatures are forecast for parts of the West Coast and the Atlantic provinces.
Environment Canada issued weather warnings in seven different provinces Monday morning, including extreme cold, winter storm, wind, freezing rain and snow squall warnings. By Monday afternoon, there were weather warnings in six provinces.
David Phillips, senior climatologist for Environment Canada, said that the frosty temperatures were being caused by "cold Arctic air."
"What we're seeing across North America from Tuktoyaktuk to Tallahassee is very cold air and cold wind warnings out for most of Canada,"
Phillips said that while large parts of Canada have been are now in the thick of winter and have been hit with bitterly cold weather, the agency's models show a return to more "normal" temperatures by next week.
"Our models show for the next month – from mid-January to mid-February – more of Canada showing milder than normal," he said. "So this may be the roughest part of winter."
Here's a look at Monday's forecast for parts of the country, according to Environment Canada.
Atlantic Canada
Parts of Atlantic Canada will see warmer weather than the rest of the country, with the mercury hitting 7 C in St. John's Monday morning. The temperature in Charlottetown and Halifax was 2 C and 5 C respectively.
Environment Canada issued a wind warning for parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, and an extreme cold warning for large parts of eastern New Brunswick.
The temperature in Fredericton is forecast to drop to a low of –20 C by night, and will feel like -30 with the wind chill.
Quebec
In Quebec, about 2,500 Montrealers were without power Monday morning after a wintry blast pummelled the area over the weekend.
Even walking the streets of Montreal was difficult, with branches and hydro lines downed by freezing rain.
The city will see light flurries Monday morning and can expect the temperature to plunge to -20 C by night.
To the north, Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold for parts of the province.
Light snow is forecast for Quebec City, with the temperature set to drop to a low of -23 C by night and will feel like -34 with the wind chill.
Ontario
Extreme cold warnings were also issued for much of northern Ontario, stretching from Kirkland Lake to Fort Severn.
Snow squall warning were issued for parts of southern Ontario including, the Waterloo, Peterborough and York-Durham regions.
Ottawa residents are also facing frigid temperatures forecast to reach a low of -20 C by night. With the wind chill it will feel like -25.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, the temperature is forecast to reach a high of –9 C and a low of -12 C. With the wind chill it will feel like -23. It was nearly impossible for drivers to see anything in front of them in some parts of the city Monday, as snowsqualls made for dangerous conditions.
The Prairies
The Prairies will face the brunt of winter's wrath, with temperatures set to plunge to a chilling -24 C in Winnipeg, but will feel like -39 with the wind chill. Cold temperatures in Winnipeg even caused numerous pipes to burst Monday.
Saskatoon and Regina will see similar temperatures, with the mercury set to drop to a low of -27 C and -26 C respectively.
In Alberta, Edmonton and Calgary will also see a deep freeze, with temperatures in those cities forecast to drop to -24 C and -19 C respectively.
British Columbia
Lucky residents in the Metro Vancouver region and in Victoria will enjoy warmer weather, with the temperature forecast to reach 7 C and 8 C respectively.
Meanwhile, northern B.C. will see messier weather, as Environment Canada has issued a slew of warnings for the area including winter storm, extreme cold and freezing rain warnings.
In Prince George, the forecast calls for heavy snow beginning late Monday afternoon, with the temperature holding steady at about -15 C throughout the day.
And while it was not nearly as cold in Kelowna, there was so much snow Monday that school officials had to cancel class – marking the city’s first snow day in more than three decades.
With files from CTV’s Vanessa Lee
