UPDATE | Environment Canada lifted its cold warnings by Sunday.
Environment Canada has extended a cold warning for the Kingston and Belleville area for another two nights.
The wind chill on Thursday night made it feel like -35 in Kingston and other areas of eastern Ontario.
While cold warnings have ended for the rest of the region, Kingston and Belleville will stay very cold through the weekend, with overnight temperatures on Friday and Saturday feeling like -30 when factoring in the wind chill.
Kingston’s low will be -20 C on Friday and -17 C on Saturday. Overnight temperatures in Ottawa are similar, but the wind chill won’t be as harsh.
Temperatures are expected to return to normal by early next week.
How to protect yourself
Health Canada suggests that folks dress in layers with a wind-resistant outer layer, covering extremities like your hands, feet, ears, and nose while keeping active to boost blood flow.
It also advises wearing sunglasses, sunscreen, and lip balm on sunny days like Saturday to shield skin from windburn. The agency warns against drinking alcohol since it can mislead you into thinking you’re warmer than you really are.
Community responses to these extreme cold conditions vary across municipalities or counties. Many places encourage residents to warm up in community spaces such as libraries during the day, while some cities like Belleville, Ont., and Cornwall, Ont., have opened dedicated overnight warming centres.
Kingston has prolonged a temporary warming centre at the Artillery Park Aquatics Centre on Bagot Street until Monday morning.
Other cities, including Ottawa, have asked people who would typically sleep outside to seek emergency or transitional shelters, which has drawn some criticism.
The City of Ottawa also maintains a map of locations where people can warm up during an extreme cold event. Anyone looking for shelter referrals or trying to help someone out of the cold can call 311.
For medical emergencies like hypothermia, call 911.
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