Environment Canada said the cold front descending on the city until late Saturday will see the wind-chill factor drop to minus 40 C.
Montrealers woke up Friday morning to a much-heralded cold snap that by 6:30 a.m. that was more than living up to its hype.
Despite a posted temperature of minus-19 Celsius that was packing a windchill factor of minus-32 C as well as a series of snow squalls overnight, road conditions were good, airport operations were proceeding normally and the biggest variable in the equation — Hydro-Québec’s power distribution network — was dealing with the expected stress from an entire province trying to keep warm.
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The utility reported a little over 2,300 customers were without power province-wide — 484 of them Montreal — with most of the outages occurring in the Mauricie region.
Hydro-Québec is asking clients to try to reduce their use of electricity during the cold snap as it expects consumption to hit record-breaking levels Friday and Saturday.
Householders are asked to reduce their thermostats by 2 degrees Celsius, particularly in empty rooms, and use less hot water. If possible, use of washers, driers and dishwashers should be delayed.
The measures are particularly helpful for the power grid between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. and noon on Saturday.
The Crown corporation says it will be taking its own advice and reducing heating and lighting use in its own buildings.
The health threats posed by the extreme cold — frostbite and hypothermia — have left the administrators of local shelters for unhoused people worried about their ability to protect an already vulnerable population.
Environment Canada said the cold front descending on the city until late Saturday will see the wind-chill factor drop to minus 40.
The city of Montreal will open two warming centres, each of which can accommodate up to 50 people, starting at 8 p.m. The centres are expected to close on Sunday.
Public health officials repeated warnings that severe frostbite can cause permanent tissue damage requiring amputation, while hypothermia can be fatal.
Marie-Noëlle L’Espérance, director of the Dans La Rue youth shelter in Montréal, said her centre would try to accommodate as many people as possible during the extreme weather.
The city of Montreal said that police, ambulance technicians and social workers are encouraging those without a home to get to a shelter.
Serge Lareault, commissioner for Montreal’s unhoused population, said the city has 1,600 beds in its shelters, but L’Espérance worries that won’t be enough since those beds are already occupied. “The 100 extra beds are welcome, but we’ll still be short of space.”
The Mission Bon accueil shelter is open 24 hours a day and has a capacity for 165 people, however director Sam Watts said the centre’s policy is to welcome anyone in need.
“When it’s really cold, we have to be very vigilant and work in close collaboration with all resources to ensure no one has to be outside.”
Watts said the extreme cold is particularly hazardous for those living on the street, many of whom have health problems and are particularly vulnerable.
A portion of this report was produced with financial aid from the Meta and Canadian Press News Scholarships.
