TORONTO – What’s the one thing foreigners know about Canada? It’s cold. And yet, many visitors in town for NBA All-Star Game are blown away by weather this weekend.
The city of Toronto issued an extreme cold weather alert – just the seventh of the 2015-16 winter but the third during all-star festivities.
READ MORE: Extreme cold warnings from Manitoba to New Brunswick
Temperatures late morning in Toronto plummeted to -23 Celsius, which felt like minus -34 C according to the Weather Network.
The frigid temperatures proved shocking for some stars; Kobe Bryant, who’s spent his entire career playing in sunny Los Angeles struggled to find words to describe the feeling.
“It’s cold; it’s really, really cold. Really cold,” Bryant said Friday. “But it really is great to be here. This is a beautiful city, truly deserving to have an All-Star game.”
Even Chris Bosh, who played in Toronto for seven seasons – but now plays for the Miami Heat — seemed taken aback by the chilly environment.
Pau Gasol, who hails from balmy Barcelona, Spain, was also impressed.
One visiting reporter from Atlanta called Toronto a wonderful city, but lamented it was too cold to enjoy it.
A photographer trying to find a weather shot had to call it quits when his camera stopped working in the cold.
In 2014-15, there were 39 days under an extreme cold weather alert.
Sunday promises similarly cold conditions, with a high of -10 and a wind chill approaching -30.
However, the forecast calls for a balmy -1 C Monday, the day after the All-Star Game.
With files from The Canadian Press.
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