Canada Logs -51.9°C Temperature In Coldest Day Nation Has Seen Since 2017

Updated September 8, 2021

There are many things that people associate with Canada but before anyone has a chance to say anything about hockey or maple syrup or politeness, it's likely that their minds will turn to how overwhelmingly cold the country seems.

But while the truth of the matter depends on where in Canada you are and at what time of year, it's nonetheless true that you're guaranteed to see at least a few months in a given year when everything is covered in snow.

And when a polar vortex rolls around, you can add some blistering winds into the mix. But even you if you take them out of the equation, one region's temperature plummet over the weekend still seems positively staggering.

While it's likely fairly chilly in eastern Canada right now, conditions are positively freezing throughout the prairies of western Canada right now.

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As the CBC reported, the emergence of a polar vortex throughout this area has led 22 communities throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta to note record-breaking temperatures on February 7.

In the case of Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, the reported temperature of -47.3°C (-53.14 Fahrenheit) breaks a record set all the way back in 1936 by about two degrees.

But to get a sense of the coldest temperature seen that day, we have to head a little farther north to Wekweèti in the Northwest Territories.

Reddit | don_wilson

According to The Weather Network, this community logged temperatures dipping as low as -51.9°C (-61.42 Fahrenheit) on Sunday.

Although that's only the coldest day Canada has seen since 2017, it seems that this is only true by the narrowest of margins. After all, the last time anywhere in Canada saw temperatures lower than -52 degrees Celsius was during the 1970s.

And if you're curious, The National Post reported that the coldest day the nation has ever seen occurred on February 3, 1947 when Snag, Yukon saw temperatures fall to -63°C.

However, it will no doubt feel like conditions are as cold as they were on that record-breaking day when you factor in the wind chill.

According to the CBC, many areas in Alberta will likely feel as though it's as cold as -55 degrees, while parts of southern Saskatchewan will feel somewhere between -40 and -50 due to winds traveling between 6.21 and 12.43 miles per hour.

As meteorologist Tyler Hamilton of The Weather Network noted, the freezing temperatures are so severe that they've actually confused weather satellites into thinking the ground in western Canada is actually a thick blanket of clouds.

As you might expect, the extreme weather conditions have brought school buses in the area to a standstill.

Reddit | une_olive

As the the CBC reported, most cities don't let these buses run if the wind chill has temperatures feeling as low as -40.

But while this has also resulted in school closures throughout several districts in Alberta and Manitoba, schools have largely remained open in Saskatchewan.

And while these staggering temperature dips are shocking to us, there's another fact about the situation that will likely be even harder for residents in this region to deal with.

Reddit | don_wilson

Namely, this concerns the fact that Monday is looking just as rough and as the CBC reported, the air around the prairies is likely to stay just as bitterly cold throughout the week.

At least that shouldn't make it too hard to stay inside!

h/t: CBC, The Weather Network

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