Bitter cold temperatures hit Waterloo Region, winds bring risk of frost bite and hypothermia

Bitter cold temperatures are set to continue throughout the work week in Waterloo Region, with wind chills that could pose a serious threat to your health.

For Monday, the daytime high is -13 C, but the wind chill could feel like -26 C. On Tuesday and Wednesday, wind chills could continue to feel like -30 C.

According to 570’s Meteorologist Jill Taylor, any skin left exposed to those cold winds could be at risk for frost bite and frost nip, and prolonged exposure to the cold could lead to hypothermia.

“When you’re talking about a wind chill of -25 C, close to -30 C, you’ve got a high risk that exposed skin can freeze in as little as 10 to 30 minutes,” explained Taylor.

Although cold, Taylor doesn’t expect an extreme cold warning to be put into effect. She explained that, in southwestern Ontario, an extreme cold warning is only issued when temperatures of -30 C are observed for at least a two hour period.

Light snow is also expected to fall at times throughout that cold stretch.

There’s no end to the cold in sight, as temperatures for the remainder of January are expected to remain below average.

According to Environment Canada, the temperatures over the next few days could be the coldest this area has experienced in several years.