Extreme cold to grip southwestern Ontario

Temperature records could fall Friday night into Saturday morning as winter tightens its icy grip on much of southwestern Ontario.

Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold warning for Chatham-Kent, London-Middlesex, Oxford County, and Elgin County as the temperature is expected to plunge to -25 C Friday night. The deep freeze will feel even colder because of a wind chill that will make the temperature outdoors seem more like -35C, the weather agency said.

The extreme cold could lead to cold related injuries such as frostbite and hypothermia.

“Risks are greater for young children, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, people working or exercising outdoors, and those without proper shelter,” said Environment Canada. “Watch for cold related symptoms: shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain and weakness, numbness, and colour change in fingers and toes.”

Rewarming a frostbitten area can take up to 60 minutes and is best done by placing it next to warmer skin or immersing it in warm, not hot, water. Anyone who suspected hypothermia symptoms should seek medical attention immediately.

The bone-chilling conditions could see cold weather records in London and Chatham broken. According to Environment Canada, the previous record for London for January 28 is -22.8 C, which was set in 1966. For Chatham, the record low for this date is -19.9 C, set in 1999.

Temperatures will improve somewhat on Saturday with a daytime high of -10 C. That is still well below the seasonal average high for this time of year of -2.7 C.