CALGARY -- For the first time in Alberta's most recent cold stretch, the entire province has been blanketed with extreme cold warnings by Environment Canada.
On Sunday, warnings were in place for most of the province, with the exception of the southwest portion and Calgary. That changed Monday afternoon when the arctic air pushed all the way south, cloaking the province in icy winter temperatures.
Extreme cold warnings are issued when either the temperature or the windchill is expected to drop temperatures to –40 and below and elevate the risk of health-related complications from the cold weather.
Across the province, extreme wind chill overnight and Tuesday will make outdoor temperatures feel like it's near –40.
In Calgary, the cold snap has pushed homeless shelters over capacity and led to ski hill closures, while Edmonton reported 18 cold-related injuries in the city.
The bout of frigid weather is affecting areas across Western Canada — large portions of Saskatchewan and British Columbia are also under extreme cold warnings.
According to CTV Calgary meteorologist David Spence, there is hope the arctic air will begin to move out on the weekend, leading to much higher temperatures next week.
