Extremely Cold Temperatures Return to Southern Ontario Tonight Into Saturday With a Wind Chill Between -30°C and -40°C

It should be no surprise to see colder temperatures across the region this time of year considering that we're in the middle of January. However, we’re expecting some of the coldest air of the season so far to make its way into Southern Ontario just in time for the weekend. Now the actual air temperature likely won’t be as cold as we saw earlier in the week, but the difference will be the slightly stronger winds which will make it feel significantly colder than what the thermometer shows.

In some cases, the wind chill will be 5-10°C colder than the air temperature meaning even areas as far south as the GTA could experience wind chills near -30°C on Saturday morning. Further north, it will feel close to -40°C especially over Northeastern Ontario and through the northern parts of Central Ontario.

For the actual temperature, we expect it to range from -30°C to -35°C for those in Northern Muskoka, Algonquin Park, Bancroft and up into Northeastern Ontario. The rest of Central Ontario, around Lake Simcoe and into Eastern Ontario will be slightly warmer with a low temperature of -25°C to -30°C. For the K/W area into Northern GTA away from the lakeshore, the temperature will end up around -20°C to -25°C and closer to -15°C and -20°C for the Lake Ontario and Huron shoreline. The warmest temperatures will be found in Deep Southwestern Ontario and the Niagara region ending up close to -15°C.

These temperatures are the minimum temperatures that will be felt mainly early in the morning and will warm up later in the day. But there won’t be that much of a warmup with most areas seeing a daytime high between -10°C and -20°C. Those in Central Ontario may even struggle to warm up above -20°C. Remember these are the raw air temperature - you have to add 5 to 10°C to the temperature to get the wind chill. We’ve provided a rough estimation of the wind chill on our forecast map above. Another very chilly night is expected on Saturday and continuing into Sunday although the wind chill doesn’t appear to be as big of a factor compared to tonight. More details on that to come on Saturday.

Please be sure to dress accordingly if you’re planning on being outside for an extended period of time. Frostbite and other cold-related dangers can become life-threatening in a matter of minutes with temperatures this cold! And please don’t forget about your furry friends. If it’s too cold for you, it’s too cold for them! Bring them inside or find a way to keep them warm. Stay safe and warm!