Kingston braces for extreme cold conditions

Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to drop below -25 C tonight. The public health unit in the Kingston area has issued a cold-weather warning.

CKWS spoke with some Kingstonians who were outdoors on Wednesday but didn’t seem to mind the frigid conditions.

“Our family loves it — we’ve been getting out every single day,” said Tracy Minichiello, who was spending the morning at Market Square with her kids.

The polar vortex is back and is delivering some of the coldest air on the planet to Ontario. With the extreme cold comes a health warning, especially targeting vulnerable children and seniors.

Health officials advise watching for symptoms including shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain, weakness, numbness or a change in colour in fingers and toes during especially cold weather.

When spending time outdoors, the health unit says residents should seek shelter, cover exposed skin (including the head, hands and face) and watch for signs of hypothermia. They point out that hypothermia can also occur indoors if the temperature falls below 16 C or less.

That’s in line with advice from health officials, who suggest wearing several layers of clothing and ensuring the outer layer protects you from wind and wetness, covering exposed skin to protect against frostbite, drinking warm fluids that do not contain caffeine or alcohol, and maintaining a heated environment of at least 20 C.

The deep freeze is expected to continue well into the new year, with nearly balmy below-zero single-digit temperatures expected within the next week.