EDMONTON - Dig out that scarf and those woolly mittens because Edmonton and surrounding regions are in the midst of a deep freeze.
Wednesday's temperatures are expected to hold steady around -20, a significant difference from the extreme wind chill conditions in the Capital region and northern Alberta on Tuesday.
For those who work outdoors, the week has brought cold temperatures not felt for some time.
"You remember the cold ones," says Canada Post mail carrier, Jay Ambs.
"At my time at Canada Post, I've had a couple," adds Ambs, who's worked with Canada Post for eight years.
"With the wind, even with the equipment they give us - which is pretty good - it cuts right through."
In these conditions, frostbite on exposed skin may occur in less than 10 minutes, warns Environment Canada.
"Thankfully this walk is okay because I'll be in and out these small buildings, so that's not too bad," says Ambs. "Some of these guys that have residential walks that are walking house to house, and they're outside for three or four hours, they'll be cold, it'll be rough on them for sure."
Snow should taper off Wednesday evening, totalling between two and four cm, and the temperature should hold steady near -20.
Residents are advised to monitor weather conditions throughout the day and check for updated statements from Environment Canada.
"The record temperature for (Tuesday January 29) for Edmonton is about -43 and there's nobody in living memory of that one," explains Dan Kulak, with Environment Canada. "So it's well over 100 years ago... This is the type of weather that can happen in central Alberta, and we need to be prepared for it."
Homeless shelters are seeing the impact of this cold snap first hand.
"It's exceptionally cold today as everyone knows, and we're getting a lot more people in our drop in. This morning we probably saw a good 200 people coming in from the cold," shares David Berger, the Executive Director of Boyle Street Community Services in Edmonton.
"We're seeing people that are coming in without gloves, without toques, with frostbite, with a problem with their feet, just plain freezing and trying to survive," he adds.
Boyle Street will help clients find refuge from the cold, but will also try to match them with appropriate services that will help establish future independence.
"We're open 15 hours a day, every day of the week, until the end of April," says Berger. "On days like this, I think we really make a difference."
"We'll never turn people away, especially on a day like today."
With files from the Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Journal