Environment Canada says 15 new record lows were set in Alberta on Monday due to an “unseasonably cold” arctic ridge of high pressure.
This is in addition to 26 records that were broken over the weekend, the national weather agency said.
Of the 15 communities with new record lows on Monday, the coldest was in Red Deer, which saw temperatures drop to -43.9 C — breaking the city’s previous record of -40.6 C, set back in 1936.
The record low temperatures seen throughout the province on Feb. 8 include:
Breton
New record of -37.5 C
Old record of -32.0 C set in 1994
Records in this area have been kept since 1939
Cold Lake
New record of -36.6 C
Old record of -35.8 C set in 1994
Records in this area have been kept since 1952
Edmonton (at the Edmonton International Airport)
New record of -40.8 C
Old record of -35.8 C set in 1979
Records in this area have been kept since 1959
Elk Island National Park
New record of -40.9 C
Old record of -35.6 C set in 1979
Records in this area have been kept since 1966
Hendrickson Creek
New record of -41.2 C
Old record of -35.5 C set in 2017
Records in this area have been kept since 1995
High River
New record of -33.2 C
Old record of -33.0 C set in 1994
Records in this area have been kept since 1913
Highvale
New record of -33.8 C
Old record of -32.0 C set in 1979
Records in this area have been kept since 1977
Lac La Biche
New record of -39.2 C
Old record of -38.9 C set in 1979
Records in this area have been kept since 1944
Lacombe
New record of -40.5 C
Old record of -39.4 C set in 1936
Records in this area have been kept since 1907
Milk River
New record of -32.4 C
Old record of -31.7 C set in 2017
Records in this area have been kept since 1994
Red Deer
New record of -43.9 C
Old record of -40.6 C set in 1936
Records in this area have been kept since 1904
Red Earth Creek
New record of -39.5 C
Old record of -35.8 C set in 2019
Records in this area have been kept since 1994
Taber
New record of -35.7 C
Old record of -35.5 C set in 1994
Records in this area have been kept since 1947
Vegreville
New record of -41.7 C
Old record of -37.0 C set in 1994
Records in this area have been kept since 1918
Wainwright
New record of -37.5 C
Old record of -36.0 C set in 1994
Records in this area have been kept since 1966
As of 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, an extreme cold warning remained in place for all of Alberta, with wind chill values between -40 and -55 expected.
“This prolonged cold snap is expected to persist into the weekend for many areas of Alberta,” Environment Canada said. “There will be some moderation in temperature at times, typically during daylight hours.”
Extreme cold warnings are issued when very cold temperatures or wind chill creates an elevated risk to health such as frostbite and hypothermia.