Do you rely on Cabin Radio? Help us keep our journalism available to everyone.

Extreme cold set to end, parts of NWT forecast to break 0C this week

The days are lengthening again. Bill Braden took this photo on the morning of December 21, looking toward Dettah from Yellowknife's Rotary Park. The faintest red aurora is visible.
A faint aurora over Yellowknife Bay in December 2025. Photo: Bill Braden

Parts of the Beaufort Delta and Sahtu are set to emerge from a bitter spell of -40C weather this coming week, while other areas could see temperatures above freezing.

Communities like Inuvik and Norman Wells have been battling temperatures below -40C for the past week or more.

Inuvik cancelled its Saturday night sunrise festival fireworks because of the cold, while Norman Wells residents have described a series of challenges including a house fire that knocked out power to some homes for hours.

The week ahead appears to show temperatures easing in those regions, though not by much.

Inuvik can expect temperatures around -30C for most of the week, Environment Canada said in forecasts published on Saturday, while Norman Wells should gradually warm up to highs of between -25C and -20C by next weekend.

Advertisement.

Advertisement.

Elsewhere, much warmer weather is anticipated.

Hay River was already undergoing that transition on Saturday. Residents experienced a swing from -30C last thing on Friday to -6C by Saturday evening.

While temperatures are expected to dip back to between -10C and -15C in the days ahead, Hay River can expect a high of -3C on Wednesday, January 14 if the forecast holds.

Fort Smith is forecast to reach 0C that day with Fort Liard told to expect +1C.

Yellowknife’s forecast calls for -9C and snow on Wednesday, with temperatures between -10C and -20C for the rest of the week.