-40 C possible: Historic deep freeze sets in on Alberta

Arctic air is beginning to settle in over Alberta and the coldest days are yet to come.

Edmonton could see the coldest temperatures in over 50 years and there's a good chance the city will hit -40 C for the first time since 1972.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be the bottom of the cold spell, although it won't warm up much or very quickly next week.

This will be a dangerous stretch of days. Check on your neighbours and loved ones.

Fill up your vehicle, have an emergency kit and avoid any unnecessary travel.

Some of us will end up dealing with burst pipes, etc. Make a plan now. Hopefully, you won't need it, but be prepared.

Temperatures hovered around -30 with wind chill in the -40 to -45 C range throughout Thursday in the city.

It's likely that temperatures won't get above -30 C for three consecutive days Fri/Sat/Sun.

That's something that hasn't happened since 1965 (almost 60 years ago).

It gets cold in Alberta in the winter, but it's rare for it to be THIS cold (and for this many consecutive days).

Even just ONE daytime high of -30 C hasn't happened since 2004 (20 years ago).
 

Temperatures will likely be in the mid -30s Friday morning with a wind chill in the mid -40s.

Throughout the day Friday, wind should be light (5-10 km/h). But, we'll have occasional wind chills in the -37 to -45 C range.

Saturday and Sunday probably start out around -40 C in the city, with temperatures in the -42 to -48 C range for some areas outside Edmonton.

Some modelling indicates we could even see temperatures as cold as -44 to -47 C IN the city. I'm going with -42 C in my forecast.

Daytime highs will likely be in the -31 to -37 C range. So, even with light wind in the forecast, we'll see occasional wind chills in the -45 to -50 C.
 

Here are the health hazard timelines for temperature and/or wind chill:

-28 to -39 C

Exposed skin can freeze in 10 to 30 minutes. High risk of frostbite. Risk of hypothermia if outside for long periods of time without adequate clothing or shelter.

-40 to -47 C

Exposed skin can freeze in 5 to 10 minutes. Very high risk of frostbite. Very high risk of hypothermia if outside for long periods of time without adequate clothing or shelter.

-48 to -54 C

Exposed skin can freeze in 2 to 5 minutes. Severe risk of frostbite. Severe risk of hypothermia if outside for long periods of time without adequate clothing or shelter.