Potentially Record Breaking Wind Chill Temperatures Colder Than -35°C Will Occur Overnight Tonight and Early Tomorrow Morning

With having been a fairly mild winter so far across Nova Scotia, we’re in for a shock to the system with the frigid cold air that has been flooding in behind the morning’s cold front. The temperatures have plummeted throughout the day and we’ve already begun to see temperatures dip into the -20°s. The temperatures will continue to fall overnight and the minimum will occur in the early morning hours tomorrow. At the same time, there will be sustained winds of 30-60km/h and gusts up to 90km/h which will continue throughout the day. The morning is going to feel exceptionally colder and we’re looking at wind chills below -35°C across the province and in the Cape Breton Highlands, it may feel as cold as -50°C. To put things into perspective, these wind chill values could break records that are up to 40 years old!

By mid-morning, we will see the temperatures start to rise to the negative teens, and the wind chill values will rise above -30°C, for the afternoon. The snow squalls for Western Nova Scotia and the Annapolis Valley as well as Western Cape Breton Island, will continue overnight and through the day tomorrow. Up to 25cm of snow is possible locally from these snow squall bands and visibility will be significantly reduced due to blowing snow so use caution when travelling in this area as conditions could rapidly deteriorate.

When we’re dealing with this level of extreme cold, it’s important to remember that there is an exposure risk and frost bite times may be reduced to under 10 minutes with these wind chills. Make sure to dress warmly when going outside and keep your pets indoors whenever possible.