Extreme cold weather expected to continue in Canada

Canada is facing an epic cold weather that has plunged the mercury to record-setting lows, with forecasts calling for daily highs in the minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius range in major cities, according to Environment Canada Thursday.

People walk down an icy street in Quebec City, Canada on December 27, 2017. In Canada, extreme cold warnings were issued for scores of communities across the country, including the heavily-populated provinces of Ontario and Quebec. [Photo: VCG]

Environment Canada Thursday issued a slew of extreme cold weather alerts, saying overnight temperatures and wind chill factors are expected to make it feel much, much colder -- in the neighborhood of minus 40 degrees Celsius in some places.

Those mind-boggling numbers are colder than some of the chilliest places on the planet. What's unusual is how long this wave of frigid air will stay around, said Environment Canada.

People go through the Lanoraie forest on dogsleds December 28, 2017 in Lanoraie, Quebec. A bitter Arctic chill settled across Canada Thursday, forcing people indoors, stranding motorists with dead car batteries and complicating firefighting duties. [Photo: VCG]

Extreme cold weather warnings remained in effect Thursday for the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec, while special weather statements warned of temperatures between minus 25 and 32 degrees Celsius in New Brunswick province as the Arctic air mass moved eastward into the Maritimes.

Nova Scotia province was already dealing with a winter weather system that snapped hydro poles and caused widespread outages affecting 158,000 customers.

The province's utility was still working Thursday to complete restoration of power in the province, after the damage from wind gusts of over 100 kilometers per hour that began Christmas morning and continued into Boxing Day.

In Hamilton of Ontario, a 77-year-old man died from hypothermia Tuesday after leaving his vehicle following a crash in Hamilton, according to a CBC report.

In Ottawa, extreme cold forced organizers of the Bell Capital Cup international youth hockey tournament to cancel its outdoor games.

Cargo ships make their way down the ice-covered Saint Lawrence River December 28, 2017 at the Sorel-Tracy Ferry crossing in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. [Photo: VCG]

Matches scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the Canada 150 rink on Parliament Hill were to be played indoors instead.

Canada's capital also became the world's coldest capital city, due to its overnight temperature of minus 29 degrees Celsius.

Canada Via Rail said the frigid weather had disrupted train service in some areas and cancelled four scheduled trains this week involving stops within Manitoba due to equipment issues related to the extreme cold weather.