Record cold with a dash of snow: Ontario's New Year's Eve
theweathernetwork.com
Sunday, December 31, 2017, 8:16 AM - The frigid temperatures that defined the final week of 2017 will stick around into the New Year, with the last day of the year possibly set to see record-breaking cold.
Almost all the province remains under an extreme cold warning Sunday, ahead of what is expected to be a night of dangerously cold temperatures.
"Although winds are relatively light, the extreme cold is expected to produce windchill values below minus 30 this morning, and again tonight," Environment Canada said Sunday. "New Year's Eve revellers are cautioned that windchill values will be near minus 30 late this evening as we ring in 2018."
Some cities, including Ottawa, announced some New Year's Eve festivities would be cancelled or scaled back as a result of the extreme cold, which meteorologists say is likely to linger somewhat.
"The frigid weather will continue into the first several days of 2018, but the pattern is expected to relax as head into the second week of January," says Weather Network meteorologist Dr. Doug Gillham.
Keep on top of active weather by visiting the ALERTS page.
Though December's prolonged cold temperatures have aided the freezing of the Great Lakes, much of them remain unfrozen and water temperatures tend to cool slower than atmospheric or land temperatures. As such, cold winds expected to blow across the relatively warmer waters of Lake Huron are expected to deliver sometimes intense snow squalls to close out the year.
Several snow squall warnings are in effect for communities on or inland of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, with some coastal communities in line for 20 cm or more through to New Year's Day (see the map below for a more detailed look).
