WATCH: Montreal in a deep freeze – literally!
MONTREAL — Welcome to one of the coldest weeks of the year.
Temperatures across Quebec have dipped well below the normal high of -4°C this week, hovering closer to minus 30°C in Montreal.
READ MORE: Winter storms slam Maritimes; deep freeze continues in Quebec and Ontario
The extreme cold, mixed with high winds, is creating the perfect storm for frostbite and hypothermia and doctors orders are to cover up and limit the time spent outdoors.
“When it’s very cold and especially if those areas aren’t protected, and especially if you have an underlying problem with your circulation, you run the risk of developing frostbite,” said emergency room physician Dr. Mitch Shulman, who recently treated a patient with second-degree frostbite.
READ MORE: Signs, prevention and what to do if you have frostbite
The weather is also to blame for an increase in common-cold viruses.
“The air is dry, it’s cooler than it would be normally,” said Dr. Shulman.
“A lot of these viruses, the adenoviruses, the rhinoviruses, the common cold viruses are loving the weather!”
READ MORE: Does cold weather help you catch a cold? Here’s what scientists found
According to Environment Canada, the deep freeze will last all week, while the winds will die down. The word on the street is to stay indoors as much as possible.
“If you’ve got to get outside just wear the right gear!” said Environment Canada meteorologist Simon Legault, who insisted the weather will warm up by Thursday.
“It could be a little bit warmer, we should receive a little bit of snow probably on Thursday, just a couple of centimetres.”
WATCH: Morning News weather forecast: Tuesday, February 17
This comes as a relief to people who can’t escape the cold.
“The thing with window cleaning it’s that I work with water,” said Jacques Ledu, who works for the window-washing company, Future Lavage de Vitres.
His said his biggest challenge is adding enough anti-freeze to keep his bucket from turning to ice.
His secret to keeping comfortable during the deep freeze? Dressing in layers.
“Dress well, that’s it!”
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