WINNIPEG - A baleful front of face-freezing Arctic air delivered a winter wallop across Canada鈥檚 midsection Friday, making it too cold to ski in parts of Manitoba and, in Toronto, perhaps too chilly to party.
The Windsor Park Nordic Centre in Winnipeg advised cross-country skiers that its trails would be closed through the weekend.聽
"It's extremely cold and we don't expect a lot of people to be out skiing,鈥 said Karin McSherry, executive director of the Cross-Country Ski Association of Manitoba, which oversees the centre.聽
鈥淚t just doesn't make sense to staff the facility for the next few days while this extreme cold has descended upon us.鈥
The centre is scheduled to stay open for clubs doing programming but will remain closed to the public.聽
McSherry said it's not unusual for the centre to close early or for the day due to weather, but shutting down for an entire weekend is surprising.
"At the end of the day, it does come down to safety," she said.聽
From New Brunswick through to Alberta, residents were hunkering down to wait out the bone-chilling cold snap, with some regions expected to reach lows of -50 C with the wind chill.
Environment Canada issued orange weather alerts for all of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as well as most of northern Ontario, warning that severe conditions were likely to cause significant damage, disruption or affect health.
In Regina and parts of Manitoba, officials closed schools and cancelled buses and field trips.
Regina also said it was making an overnight warming bus that travels between shelters available until Monday.
鈥淭he warming bus provides urgently needed alternative shelter to people who currently sleep outdoors and enhances the safety and well-being of residents during cold winter nights,鈥 the city said in a statement.
In Toronto, extra outreach teams were dispatched to encourage people to seek shelter indoors. City resident Alejandro Flores said he hopes the storm doesn鈥檛 blow out the candles on a planned birthday party for about 20 people.
鈥淚 don't know if we're going to have to cancel or not,鈥 said Flores. 聽鈥淟uckily my friends live around the area, so that way they hopefully can attend.
In Montreal, police, firefighters and community groups scrambled to check on those who are unhoused and help them as needed.
Once the weekend hits, all of New Brunswick is expected to see temperatures between -30 C and -37 C, with the coldest temperatures expected in the northwestern part of the province.
Meteorologist Danielle Desjardins with Environment Canada said the wintry misery is due to Arctic air from a wide cold front that's being driven by a ridge of high pressure.
鈥淪ometimes we'll get Arctic air masses that, it kind of warms up a little bit during the day and we get a little bit of reprieve. But this ridge of high pressure is quite strong and it is quite large."
Desjardins said eye-popping, eyelash-freezing records were set or on their way to being set in numerous locations.
In Uranium City, Sask., the temperature was -38 C Friday morning.
On Thursday, three communities in Saskatchewan broke cold records. Assiniboia dropped to -36 C, breaking a 60-year-old record; Lucky Lake went to -36.5 C and Rockglen hit -34.3 C.
鈥淭here鈥檚 just a heck of a lot of cold air that's come down and is sticking around for several days in more or less the same area,鈥 said Desjardins.聽
The good news? She said the cold is expected to begin letting up Sunday.
This report by 好色tvwas first published Jan. 23, 2026.