Yellowknife should brace for extreme cold this weekend

Yellowknife residents should be prepared for wind chill values near -50 throughout the coming weekend, Environment Canada says.

The city is no stranger to big dips in temperature each January and February. Temperatures without wind chill are expected to hit -40C or below for each of the next four nights.

“The wind chill will moderate at times but the extreme cold trend will continue through this weekend,” Environment Canada stated in a Thursday afternoon advisory.

Make sure your outer layer is wind-resistant if you head outdoors, the federal forecasting agency added, and expect frostbite on exposed skin within minutes.

More: How much colder was Yellowknife in the past? We checked the data

The threshold for extreme cold warnings varies depending where in Canada they are issued.

In most of the Northwest Territories, they are issued when the temperature or wind chill value is expected to reach -50 for at least two hours.

In Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour and Ulukhaktok, such warnings are only issued for -55 and lower.

By contrast, temperatures or wind chill values of -30 are enough to trigger the same warning in many parts of Ontario.