American Reacts to -50°C in Alberta (Extreme Canadian Winter)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2024
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As an American I have never experienced anything close to the cold that Canadians experience int he Winter. Today I am very interested to learn about what winter is like in Alberta when temperatures can drop to -50 C. If you enjoyed the video feel free to leave a comment, like, or subscribe for more!
It gets so cold that even politicians have their hands in their own pockets.
Very good!
WoW!! That's cold!
LMAO, right on the mark.
I wonder if the ladies of the night stayed inside or tried to get an honest job during the cold snap.
Right, because politicians are making *sooo much money* compared to the corporate lobbyists and shareholders they serve. 😂 Capitalists are the ones with their hands in *everybodies pockets,* especially yours as a worker; politicians are just another layer of middle men doing the bidding of their corporate bosses, with the real power and more money than God.
Yes when the alert went out it was amaizing to see the streets went dark almost immediately. All the houses went dark super fast. So nice to see everyone do their part to protect their comunity and neighbours as well as helping themselves.
As a guy who has lived on the Canadian Prairies his entire life, this kind of cold is not unheard of, but still quite rare. Two weeks ago in my hometown, it dropped to -60 degrees Fahrenheit, but when you factor in the lovely thing called WINDCHILL, which is the phenom where wind gusts make the air feel colder than it actually is, the temp felt like -76 Fahrenheit! It was an absolute deep freeze that went on for three days! All I can say is that, if you want to visit Canada in winter, be like a Scout and BE PREPARED!
Remember 2019 just before COVID we had a month of straight -30 to -50 lol that was rough I was working at the red deer hospital.
Years ago 2009 I believe, I was driving home from Ponoka Alberta and the truck mirror temp gauge said minus 57 c.
Without wind chill.
It was well into the minus 60's that night.
The linoleum on my holiday trailer floor all cracked during that cold stretch.
I was shocked in April when I brought it home from storage.
brutal, these people down south dont know real cold. all complaining at -10 lol@@darrinsteven7002
My family lives in Calgary. They get Chinooks pretty frequently, warm air gets pushed down from the mountains and temperatures can go above freezing for a few days. I visited last Christmas for a week and the entire week I was there it was -45°ish C until the day I flew home and it went from -38°C to 5°C overnight
This happens in North Dakota, Alaska , Montana South Dakota why is he surprised it happens there ?
Born and raised in Alberta, just stepping out side to take a breath you could feel it deep in your lungs, a biting cold. We had our generator in the house to keep it warm in case we needed it, and candles, flash lights ready to go. We made it through! Our nephew and his wife even had to go to the hospital to have a baby on the coldest day! Baby girl! All is well!🇨🇦
I walked home (20 minutes) overnight when there was a -63c wind-chill that weekend. Not only was my beard solid ice, but even my hair and eyebrows froze from my breath.
Bit too cold for me personally.
Edit: Just so you know, we call this type of "storm" a "cold snap"
IKR if you don't live in this climate, you just have no real idea how bad it can get. As a teen in high school, I missed the last bus from the city to St. Albert where I lived and had to walk the ... idk 7 km lol it was a long time ago. I think it was around -40c and the wind was fierce. I remember two different vehicles stopped and asked if I wanted a ride but I think I was already in the early stages of hypothermia by the time I got to the highway from Westmount because I said no to both. I made it home, barely and ended up very sick ... duh. Teenagers. lol I'm sure there was a better solution than me walking home but at the time it just didn't occur to me to find one. I hope any teens reading this take it to heart, find a better solution than freezing on the side of a road!
Dude how did you survive to tell the tale? I'm in Quebec and if I have to go out at -40c, I would die.
@@Octolicia honestly, you adjust to it, you really do.extra layers, couple pairs of mitts, scarf, heavy winter jacket. Then you put it all away again till the next cold snap!
@@OctoliciaYou definitely adapt and the worst part is the first 5 or so minutes. Once you get moving you warm up.
Of course, dress for the weather aka layers help.
My coworker lives very near me, but seems to always forget that fact. He also exaggerates the temperatures. I kept an eye on the weather. You didn't get to -63C with windchill. You got to around -49. Source? I'm in Edmonton.
Your reaction to the -58° F calculation got me laughing so freaking hard hahaha 🤣
Tyler, your delicate American self really needs to come north and see for yourself. Seriously. I sat here in my apartment when the wind chill was forecast to be -56C and it did make it down to about -51C. I was wrapped up in 5 layers of clothing, with a fleece blanket over my lap, and was still cold. I actually considered putting on my knitted gloves, but opted not to because it's hard to type while wearing gloves. But at least I had heat. Some people in my building weren't that lucky. There were multiple incidents of pipes freezing and bursting (including a flood in the manager's office and the adjacent social room after they tried to fix the pipes and they exploded). Every year they send notices out to not open windows and balcony doors in winter and some people just don't listen. Their pipes freeze, the water has to be shut off while the situation gets fixed, and everyone is inconvenienced.
I also have a cat, and in my view, a cat is essential for getting through a Canadian winter. Cats have a normal body temperature that's several degrees higher than a human's normal body temperature, and sleeping with a cat on your lap is the equivalent of having an extra blanket over you (I did put a real extra blanket on the bed and there were times when the cat crawled under to keep warm; she's elderly and feels the extremes worse than a younger cat would).
Still, I'd rather have extreme cold than extreme heat. I can always put on another layer of clothes and add more blankets. A layer of newspaper between the blankets is great for trapping body heat and keeping a person warm while sleeping. But extreme heat, in a building where we are not allowed to have air conditioners, is torture.
About 5 years ago, I was living in Toronto, and there was a cold snap. Most people don't realize how far south Toronto is compared to the rest of Canada. It has the same summers and winters as New York City. It is hot and humid in summer and has fairly mild winters (compared to the rest of Canada) because of its location. During this cold snap, it was -25C, and with the wind chill, it was -32C. That is cold for Toronto. I remember the Toronto Police were going from one homeless person to another, not just in the city but within all of the Greater Toronto Area, asking homeless people to get in their cars and they would take them to a shelter - overrun or not, the city didn't want people on the streets overnight. I was very happy to see this. This is where true humanity comes into play.
You've got that humidity in Toronto too, I'm in Alberta and it routinely gets down to -30 in the winter, but because the air so much drier here, it's much more tolerable. Humid cold just cuts right through you and chills you to the bone.
As an Albertan, I recall this very alert, we verified all our doors were locked tight and shut off everything we could save the furnace, it's just one of those things where when the alerts go out, everybody just does their little part and it makes the difference. We were worried about the rolling blackouts at those temperatures, it was about -45C or colder (not sure exactly how cold it got here). It has since warmed up to hover just above freezing this week
Yeah. Same. I even turned the furnace down a degree. We closed up the blinds and curtains to try and act as extra insulation as well.
@@Nevertoleave I did the same, and fortunately I live in a Solar Powered building. But, whatever extra we produce goes back into the Grid, so everyone here did whatever we could, as we thought about others going without heat and power, and the pipes bursting! I know the Royal Alexander Hospital was affected and their ER had to be totally shut down and ambulances/patients told to go to other hospitals…that truly had me worried. I go for chemotherapy there and my best friend is a nurse there, so I got some stories. Hopefully, it won’t happen again…but…if it does, we know the population will respond kindly and wisely!
Cheers🇨🇦
don’t worry bro saskatchewan had our backs
When faced with the option of no heat or no electricity..... It's really not too hard of a choice. I turned everything off, set the thermostat a little lower, and huddled in a blanket.
As northern Alberta imports from Saskatchewan, we got that awful alert and did our part - turned off what we could and dropped the furnace to 15c (59f). It doesn’t surprise me at all that Saskatchewan came to our aid - they grow good people there 😉
I used to live in Princeton BC. One year it was -55 C outside, and -17 C in my bedroom. My old house didn’t have central heating, just a wood stove in the living room. So from January to around March I basically lived in the living room. I would pee through a layer of ice in my toilet every morning, then I would go to work at the local hockey rink where I was a Zamboni operator. So my house was freezing, and my place of work was freezing… basically I lived in a constant state of freezing. Until summer. Then I was a forest fire fighter.
For those in Edmonton who can remember that we had a Global TV weatherman by the name of Bill Matheson who tell us the reason for these extremely cold air masses as “That most dreaded of all meteorological phenomenons, the Siberian high!”. So that extremely cold air was created in Siberia and eventually spilled over the Arctic and into Alberta.
Bill Matheson, that's a name that brings back memories.
Polar air slides around the globe like a toque on a bald guy's head. Often, when Siberia is very cold, Canada is relatively warm, and vice versa.
Keep your eye on the Idaho High.
Bill was the best. His pointer stick and his ‘and that’s the weather!’
I am glad you remembered Bill i watched him give weather reports in the early 50s in lethbridge
This kind of temperature change is why some Canadians can be seen wearing shorts on cold winter day.
🇨🇦😅
in gym classes they used to take the students out for runs and sports in extreme cold (at least it was for students in elementary classes and junior high; it was like -30). and when school was out kids either worked on the farms, out in the bush, or out in the oil fields with their pops.
Whats even more impressive is people lowered their power usage during a hockey game
all the younger guys where cuddling up with their snow bunnies (if you know what I mean)
When talking to Americans about extreme cold I usually go with -40 because -40 is -40. It's where the two scales intersect.
Alberta here and yes I was damn cold when I was outside feeding the animals. BTW, that's not counting the wind chill. Was approximately-69 with the wind chill. I hate it.
I'm one of the Albertans who lived through this cold snap. Yep, we all got the alert on our phones, and we all cut back on our power usage. None of us wanted rolling power outages.
We used to live north of Alberta in NWT. One winter our thermometer hit -53C, and it didn't budge for over a week. That was cold (-63F)! We heated our home with a woodstove, which my husband usually kept fed by going out to get wood a couple of times a week. At -53, equipment doesn't run the same, and our snow machine wouldn't start. Fortunately we had a wooden outbuilding that we could live without. My husband got out the power saw, dismantled and cut up the wood, and that kept us warm until the following week when he could go out for firewood again as usual.
Minus 40, or minus 53, sounds cold - and it is! - but there is something very invigorating about that kind of cold. It is rarely windy or cloudy when it is that cold. Dress warmly, and a short walk outside is very pleasant. That is the secret - just dress for the weather.
Not sure if it explains in the video. The reason is how land locked it is. Large bodies of water regulate temperatures on nearby land, since Alberta has none close by, it gets colder then either north or south pole often.
The science behind is has to do with how water is an insulator of heat, or cold. So when the land gets cold near a body of water, the land PULLS heat from the water.
Hope this helps 😊
I'm almost 68 years old and living in Alberta for most of my life and this is the first time that I remember ever seeing an emergency alert for a power shortage due to the cold, although I have seen alerts when it has been extremely hot.
Ah yes, those days before technology, that’s why we never had an alert before. Every house has 3-4 TV’s, 5-6 cell phones, iPads, every bloody appliance has a clock and technological sucking up electricity 24/7. Demand is only going to increase with electric everything.
Wait until they force us all to get electric vehicles!
I've lived here (Edmonton area) since 1988 and I've seen it a couple times before this year
It's gonna happen more and more often. Instead of building cheap reliable power generation, we now build expensive unreliable power generation.
It happens, and as our grid gets older and governments fail to upgrade, maintain, and repair it, or force utility companies to do so, it's gonna keep getting worse.
As a lifelong (and almost 50yo) Albertan let me make a few points.
1) This is by no means the lowest I have experienced. When I was running a gas station (full serve btw) in Camrose Alberta (about an hour south east of Edmonton) there was a period where it got down to -65. Yes I typed that correctly -65. Negative... Sixty... Five. It was so cold that the winshield Wiper fluid we had in buckets to clean windows (which was rated to stay perfectly liquid bleow-45) was frozen solid. We were in the middle of a price war at the time so our Parent company made us stay open far later than I would have liked, but we got through it together. #AlbertansAreTough
2) When I was a kid growing up in Leduc Alberta (about 5 minutes south of Edmonton) we would listen every morning on the radio in order to hear the "time for exposed skin to freeze". Temperature was beside the point it was that stat that told us how many layers of clothes to put on and how to keep everything covered for our walk to school in the morning. Did I Mention #AlbertansAreTough ?
3) When I was in College in Calgary Alberta we were much closer to the Mountains so temperatures could swing from -40 in the morning to +10 in the afternoon. We always wore shorts to class (and tbf drove there). I still remember the time our car got stuck out of gas on the freeway in the middle of four lanes of traffic and we had to run half a mile to a gas station both ways in order to get gas to get the car started again. Seriously, though #AlbertansAreTough
4) There is a reason they call Edmonton "The City of Champions" though, and it's not just the high number of sports championships that resided here in the 70s and 80s. It's because we are known far and wide for our big hearts and charitble works. I am deeply proud of my fellow Edmontonians and Albertans across the province for pulling together in a crisis and doing what needs to be done. #AlbertaPrideAlbertaStrong (Also a big thanks to our Flatlander Friendos from Saskatchewan, appreciate the assist, eh.)
"City of champions" is also because of black friday when an f4 tornado hit edmonton killing 27 and injuring 300 more. They gave the meaning "city of champions" because of how the city pulled together as one and helped everyone impacted (it hit a trailer park) rebuild their lives, donations to get them through, just banding together. It was one of the most powerful and deadly tornadoes in alberta, next to pine lake.
@@jenn420. Oh trust me I am aware. I grew up in Leduc and was a teenager at the time. I remember those days well. Tyler should DEFINITELY react to black Friday in Edmonton.
Northern Alberta has entered the chat….😂
@@flooredbythestupid That's actually the super funny part as while most people, even in Alberta, call us that and regard us that way, geographically Edmonton is almost dead center of the province. So, technically, TECHNICALLY, we are central Alberta. It's those insane people who choose to live in places like Fort McMurray that are the true northern Albertans. And truly tougher, when it comes to weather than they have any right to be. #respect
@jenn420. I grew up in the Evergreen trailer park. Born in 94 so I wasn't around for the tornado but my parents were living there at the time.
This is yearly in Saskatchewan ... the big Rectangle beside Alberta. We're kinda boring and behind the times. But that's what happens when it gets to -50C/-58F in winter and +40C/+104F in summer.
That extreme cold is not usual. It's caused by a "polar vortex" which is when the flow of cold air from the Arctic is pushed south with the jet stream.
In fact. Polar vortex comes to visit alberta few times a year that is normal . Thus year we gave two times visit. One in Oct and one in Jan .
Parts of America experienced the same cold snap, Montana, Idaho, the Dakotas, Minnesota, the cold front came down the Praries to Dallas, when they had snow in January this year.
It happens when you get cold air coming across the rockies, while also a cold front front the north following down the rockies.
I'm up in the Edmonton area, and it was very cold but blessedly short-lived. We've had an unseasonably warm winter overall, with a heavy cold snap, while in other years we can sit at -35 to -40C for several continuous weeks. Life goes on. My kids still went to school, I still went to work. Lots of cars weren't starting, and many were sliding on the roads because even winter tires go solid at these temperatures, but we adapt and endure. It's just part of living here.
Actually, we haven't hit -40 since I believe 1972 here in edmonton
it's amazing isn't it.. I spent almost 20 years in Edmonton and 5 in Calgary.. the first year was tough in Edmonton.. but you really do get used to it. By the time I was moving away from Edmonton.. Zero degrees C basically t-shirt weather. hehe There was that one time at -30 when I threw a rod trying to pull start a mitsubishi colt. :P if you don't have winter oil.. you shouldn't pull start your car.. good lesson.
lol on you if this happens in North Dakota , Montana , Alaska , South Dakota why would you not expect t it to happen here ?
Indeed it was short lived, and those prepared can endure, but it was the coldest I've ever felt in this area of the prairies. It was unique in that way. We've had far longer cold periods in other winters, and this winter has been very warm overall, but with sadly minimal precipitation. After a cold snap, -5 to -10 C feels like t-shirt weather. lol
Happy to be in the usual January thaw now! That was a wicked week. I’m in Northern Alberta and we were in the -40s ambient temp and -50s windchill. A few days is fine the week was tough. I’m dreading my power bill from that!
I work in a rural hospital outside Edmonton and unfortunately we did see some very serious frostbite and hypothermia. In one case it was life-threatening. Thankfully that person survived.
I remember watching a documentary, and Sir David Attenborough mentioned that in the Canadian arctic, life exists, even at -40 degrees centigrade. While sitting in bed watching Netflix, I remember swearing at him. Yes, at -40 degrees, I get up and drive to work. Life exists, but it isn't fun.
Well, it's not like Attenborough ever had to live in our climate.
depends on how you live it. in grad school, instead of taking the bus or getting a ride from mommy or daddy, we used to cross country ski to school (about a 1 and a halve); played hockey in gym, had snowball fights with the teachers and kids (who had to take the buses because they lived allot further away); build snowmen twice the height as the biggest kids; get turfed off the roof from our uncles into the big pile of snow. it was a rush. than we grew up and it was so much fun driving on ice and bragging to the guys in the bar how many fenders benders you got into that morning going to work.
I love Alberta the residents always come together and do their parts.
Amazing cooperation and coming together by Albertans. I live in Nova Scotia and the coldest it's gotten here this season is -12 Celsius. We don't even have snow on the ground. I can't even imagine.
As a Canadian visiting Florida in December 1993, we were caught in our first and only rolling blackout. It was below freezing, too cold to visit beaches or Disney World, so we were stuck in our rental trying to keep warm with the power going off for hours at a time. At that point I wished I was home on Ontario.
I have family in North Carolina, Texas, and Arizona. They have gone through similar experiences to your adventure in Florida. I think Tyler is just unaware or does leave his house much, because you get freezing temperatures, snow, and horrible storms from the north to the south of all states.
I hope you are warm and safe in Ontario!
Cheers🇨🇦
A polar vortex
Below freezing in Florida is like what -- -2℃? That's BBQ-ing weather where I live! Not much of a hardship.
My kids went with their Dad during this, got stuck in a snowstorm in Georgia on their way to Disney
As someone who lives in Calgary, i tip my hat to you and your interest in learning about Canada. Its kind of sad how little the US knows about our country and our resiliency
As an Albertan who lived through this, I can tell you it wasn't nice. We plug in our cars, dress in layers, take hot baths, whatever it takes to stay warm. But it usually doesn't last long and those extreme temps aren't the norm.
The Artic Air funnels to the 'Prarier Provinces' because of the Rocky Mountains on the western side of Alberta. The only way for it to go is spread to the east and south through these three provinces. It warms up by the time it reaches Omtario.
I have done 8 hour days outside at -51 in Kapuskasing Ontario... its really difficult to work
it was around -40c (-50c with wind chill) in Calgary.
Petition for Tyler to come to Quebec and experience Maple season and the sugar shack !
He doesn't care about Canada. He does these videos to make money.
No Quebec.
To much untreated raw sewage ( 80 million gsllons ) being dimped into the St Lawrence every year goingon there.
Stinky environmental mess.
I think it would be too cold for him Sophie. Although, I think Sugar Shack season would be a great time to visit! Spring is my favourite time of year…and you get MAPLE SAP/SYRUP as a delicious, fun reward! Now you have my mouth watering and I’m eager for SPRING!😊
Cheers🇨🇦
Great thing about Sugar Shack season in Quebec and Ontario is sitting on lawn chairs half buried in snow watching the northern lights with friends and a few beers…next morning hitting the sugar shack and having an open fire breakfast including bacon (or sausage) that are finished in the frypan with maple syrup…and a few more beers! 😃
Great idea, good time of year too. We'll get Tyler to come one of these days.
A polar vortex is a mass of freezing air that exists all year long and typically spins clockwise over the North Pole. When it weakens, the circulation can be disrupted and split - sending a section south to spread frigid temperatures over parts of North America.
Coldest I been in is -57°C in the Yukon.
Hmm I was on a section of the McKenzie river about 30 years ago and we recorded a temp of -59°c that winter, I wanted to check it out and went for a walk and yup it was cold but I grew up in the Yukon and am used to cold weather I've seen -40°c for weeks and weeks at a time and when it's that cold life goes on there's still school and we bussed to school about 17 kms each way. Not like now when it gets to minus 23 there's weather alerts and advisories. We just added a pair of wool socks and maybe a sweater and scarf and used appropriately not mention long underwear but no snow pants like kids nowadays.different breed back then, I remember ski-dooing in minus 25 with my coat undone and a t-shirt on for an hour or so. Man the smell of two stroke exhaust still makes me nostalgic. Oops sorry for the biography.
We are a different breed in Alberta. It was -57°c in Devon just outside of Edmonton. Colder then the city as the majority of the town is located on the river. It sucked but life just gose on as normal. Most people were at work and even construction workers were outside all day as normal
Edmonton warms up allot too because of "New Canadians" who have issues with cold turning their heat up in their homes.
Minus 57 in Wetaskiwin, Alberta at the same as in Devon.
You can go outside.
Cover up and don't stay out to.long.
When the power alert went out, we turned off everything we could, didn't want ourselves freezing, or anyone else. My son was having his birthday party, but people wanted to stay home in case of power problems, so he re scheduled it. The biggest problem is for farmers, their cattle, horses eetc. have to stay ouside, so farmers have to bundle up and go out to make sure the animals have enough feed, water, and especially some extra straw, and wind shelter to protect them from the weather.
As a lifelong Alberta (#LeducRepresent) I feel ya bud. We Albertans are just built different methinks. #AlbertaStrong
when it comes to weather, I say Alberta and BC lead the way together@@kopitarrules
I live in central Alberta, only had a few days of -40 somerhing this winter, pretty mild one thankfully as the first winter in my new tiny house i slapped together end of last aummer. Wood stove for heat. * Not just northern parts of Alberta get cold. Arctic temp and cold comes down and we get cold as does Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Also I am off grid so not worried about the electrical system.
This years weather has been very strange in canada, a couple of weeks ago it was 5 degrees, last week it was -15, and now its 5 again
We’re on like 4th winter so far. Not much ice fishing going on this year.
We didn’t get snow until December up where I am. It was about a month and a half late. Then it dropped to about -40 in the cold snap. And yesterday everything was starting to melt.
Most of the snow where I am melted the last 2 days. We had 25mm of rain last night alone.
@@Nevertoleaveidk where you’re at but it’s the same up here. -37 this week yet melted all away in 2 days and now we’re in a snowstorm🤷 COULD SOMEONE CARE TO TELL ME WHY MY DUMBASS COLONIZER ANCESTORS SETTLED HERE??? Why ? Why not like… idk the Bahamas or even like Australia! Nah! Great great great great grandpa had to come over here so I could freeze my cherry’s off in the most incoherent weather on earth (we’ve got a wonderful country but if any tourist sees this please avoid coming here between January and freaking April)
@@aarikabeecheywhere?
Here in Edmonton, which is about 190 miles north of Calgary, it was -50C but add in the windchill and it was -60C which is -76°F during the day and colder at night. Further north it was colder. Cold air masses come down from Siberia. It even makes it down into the northern US states like Montana and Colorado.
we are having a heat wave in Calgary after that cold snap, it is 32F, 0C today!! You should really check out the uniquely Albertan weather event that is a Chinook. Temps can raise 40 degrees in a few HOURS.
I worked construction in Calgary about 15 years ago. Some days in the late winter, you would start the morning all bundled up, and be down to a tee shirt by the end of shift.
It isn't unique to Alberta. It happens in the US as well. In fact, the chinook is named after an Oregon tribe call the Chinook!
We get some of the chinook benefits here in Red Deer. It's nice to be able to shed all those extra layers of clothing.
Today? Are we talking about Jan 26, today? According to Environment Canada the high today was 8.2C which is about 47F
When I grew up in Ottawa Ontario area's there was lots of snow and we had at times a -40 with freezing winds at -40 cold winds. Now the snow does not pile up the way it used to. There are places in Canada that get colder like Winnipeg Manitoba. Times you cover up with a hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. 😊😊😊. I worked on the farm as a youngster in the summer and got to play in the winter. Cross country skiing, skiing, skidooing, skating, sledding, snow showing, ice fishing, snow forts, snow ball fights and sleigh riding. What fun I had. My favorite was ice fishing with dad, skidooing, cross country skiing and sleigh bed ridings.😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
When I was stationed at Cold Lake Alberta as an Air Force fire fighter one problem was it would get so cold the pumper trucks and fire hoses would freeze up while fighting a fire. A few times we were called in by the local town when their equipment froze.
Winter weather really poses significant challenges for fire fighters, especially wearing their breathing equipment in a zone where they are catching overspray from the hoses. They can become frozen into the breathing apparatus and have to be chipped out of it before their tank runs out of air to breathe. Very significant concern for fire officers to keep their eyes on the breathing tanks constantly when operating in cold weather, most especially on younger fire fighters who are hyped on adrenaline and just wanting to do their part . They go thru air much faster without even realizing it. It takes time, many minutes to. Hip an air mask from someone’s face when their gear is frozen under inches of ice.
I was in Winnipeg one night and It was -58. We went to a bar and it was warm inside. When we left, we called a cab and we were waiting in the lobby for it. It was about -30 in the lobby. I was at -40 many time but, -58 felt much much colder.
Lol, loved the comment that plus one feels tropical. I am in Manitoba, not Alberta but YES anytime it’s plus one in winter it feels tropical. 🤣 Very happy Alberta made it through ok.
I grew up in Regina but now live in Calgary. You have my sympathies. 😀
I visited Calgary just last week and last weekend. Thankfully, the extreme cold had mostly passed, but still the temperature got as low as -25 C at times. My fingers kept freezing in my gloves, but I had a pair of fleece tights which really helped my legs. I went downhill skiing at Lake Louise and cross-country skiing in Canmore, and both were amazing!
Yess, this is very cold, but we have a strong sense of community and cooperation to go through this. I remember your reaction about the Québec ice storm of 1998--the same sense of cooperation made us get through it. Have a nice day.
❤✌🏻🇨🇦
The NWT has -66C regularly, people light small fires under their engines to start their cars.
Great job Tyler on sharing Alberta's winter weather we are now in the Positives but you never know what can happen, the reason it warmed up so quickly was the Chinook winds brought warm air in and helped push out artic air. ✌️ Thanks for all you do Tyler, your our honorary Canadian in this 🏡
coldest its been in the last 20 years is -50. Probably right. In 1979 I was working in northern Alberta on the oil drilling rigs at it was - 63 on 2 different outdoor thermometers. That's the coldest I ever worked in and the Northern Lights were phenomenal! Exposed skin started to burn within seconds and taking a pee outside was pretty steamy! lol
you should have been in the army living 24/7 for over a week in that temp
@@joeydepalmer4457 I was camping in -30 weather as a teenager and bush crafting before it became popular :) My uncle gave me a winter sleeping bag from the Canadian military and I slept in that for years.
@@rickhatesmisleadia7101 Best time to go camping is -30 to -50 weather. Remember allot of times when you are out in a rabbit hole dressed in thermals and a parka while sleeping in an army winter sleeping bag. still have my sleeping bag and using it now (well, me and the cats that is)
Hi,Tyler I live in Alberta just south of Calgary and the cold day for me was -40.2C or -40.36F with a wind chill in the minus 50s about 2 weeks ago now. The temperture is dangerous and the wind chill can give severe frostbite and even kill people. When it is that cold it is best to not to go outside but if you have to wear a snowmobile suit and boots rated for -50 or colder and keep your face well covered and Tyler you do know Alaska is often just as cold and dangerous. Winter can be lovely but not with tempertures that can kill.
I live just north of Edmonton, yeah it was fun.....
I'm from saskatoon we got to -40 same time as you guys had the cold snap, next week we are in plus temperatures gotta love the weather swings of Canada.
It gets brutally cold in most of the northern states, as well. Try North Dakota…they are often colder than we are north of the border, as are other states, including Alaska. But if you really want cold…try parts of northern Russia/Siberia…there are communities that go down to -70C…and -50C for months! No wonder millions died in the Gulags!🥶
I got frostbite on my index finger in the time it took me to scrape off my car. Had the car running for 15 minutes before scraping, drove around for an hour doing errands, and the car FINALLY started heating up when I was headed home. I was layered up with hat, scarf, and gloves, not thick enough ones apparently
I also am a letter carrier and honestly maybe this is just super canadian of me. But I'd rather work in -40 then +40 which we alo get to in the summer.
Is he going to realize that Canadians are the way that we, nice, polite, cooperative, and community driven because of the cold, because if we don't help each other out it could be the difference between life and death. Also if you ever find yourself in sticky situation like your car is broken down and you are freezing on the side of the road you would want someone to help you so when you see someone in need you are more likely to help them out. It's one of the things I love most about Canada and Canadians.❤
I live in Calgary. My heat went out at -39 on the friday. Plumber drove out through bad roads to fix it (hot water heating) and my neighbours were great. I still had power, so I had space heaters. It only got to 12 degrees celcius but watching it drop was scary. I had to call my property manager emergency line which wasn’t local (I think southern US?). She was kind, but I felt she wasn’t quite understanding the urgency of the situation and so I said, “umm not to be pushy but its -39 celcius and I have no heat.” At least 5 seconds of dead silence on the other end, property manager called back right away. I’m sure her face must have looked just like yours 😂.
I live in Westlock, she was damn cold. Even the natural gas pressure from the utility was dropping in our area. Newer computerized furnaces quit. Luckily we still had heat as we run a old reliable pilot burning boiler.
My brother was talking calls and doing house calls like that in Edmonton and area.
That few seconds was probably spent converting the temperature to something she could understand and then getting her breath back 😂
In Southern Alberta we received this warning at -30. As an Albertan I stay indoors until it warms up but being told to cook with the microwave was a new low. We made it!
I'm from Quebec and one morning, in Saguenay, it was -53. I remember going from the house to the car and feeling the cold air burning my throat and my lungs.
Ahh...le Saguenay. Belle place. J'etais en Jonquiere en 1990. Oui -- le météo et beaucoup froid dans le nord Quebec meme que l'Alberta. C'est beau que nous sommes les gens robuste eh? 🥶
@@sadee1287 Oh oui, un peuple d’une grande résilience face aux aléas météorologiques!
Haha, natif de Côte-Nord, et j'ai resté à Fermont! Oh yes, -50 c'est complètement fou. My poor BF from South Carolina was completely brain dead at -30, lol. I remember walking 20+ minutes to work in -35 (without wind chill) and yeah, it literally takes your breath away. For us it's annoying but for most of the rest of the world, it's unfathomable!
We lived through the polar vortex. A few burst pipes where the building heat did not reach - you do not know a pipe has broke until it warms up. We were given warnings for electricity and windchill warnings - the wind makes it colder. So a 25 mph wind could make -20C feel like -30C. It is now around -1 to -4 C ... warmer
The thing about Alberta is it gets cold, but its also super dry here. Which makes it a lot easier to warm up, when you're inside you dont really notice it much
Yea I'll take -30 in Calgary over -15 in Toronto! Humidity make cold soooo much worse!
And that is the danger because you don't know your skin is freezing.
@@susanstewart1402 also true
Lol I have to laugh . Canadian here that worked in oil exploration about 100 miles north of Alberta. -54 was the coldest for me ,and we worked outside on a drilling rig 12 -14 hrs a day !! Welcome to Canada as we say !!
I live in Calgary and hunkered down and kept warm. I lived in Churchill, Manitoba for 2 years and it got a lot colder there and lasted longer!
I live in Edmonton. When i got that emergency text to reduce power usage, I immediately got up to turn off my dishwasher. I am so glad everyone else did too.
I hope you turned off your internet,phones,computer as that takes power too..Yes using the internet on your phone takes power from the grid,you didnt fully do your part..Next time go to your breaker box and shut off all the power to your house! Turnn off phone fully and wait it out.
I live in birtish Columbia Canada on Vancouver Island we had a el neio winter witch means warmer so it is like 16 degrees c it got to -15 c
All you need to know is that when it’s below the minus forty and below, it’s extremely cold. You need to bundle up, layer up and beware of getting freeze burns. Everything freezes fasts.
I’m near Edmonton, and not long ago we got to below -40C, lower if you factor in the windchill. At that temperature, exposed skin will begin to freeze within a few minutes. It’s painfully cold and it hurts to breathe the cold air, but if you bundle up well, you get still get the driveway shovelled without any problems. One bonus is that you can put ice cube trays outside and they will freeze VERY quickly! Also works as a backup freezer.
On the emergency alert: as soon as we got it, we shut off all the lights except for the table lamps in the rooms we were in, abandoned making what we planned for dinner which would have used the stove and oven, and instead had sandwiches. I spoke to a few other people that did the same types of things. I find Albertans are usually quite willing to help each other out.
It was quite the warning. First time I've seen it for Edmonton. Yes it was -56 last week but it's +3 now. Everything is melting, roads are brown from the new snow and old ice. Fun stuff eh?😉
@@Maddrabbit1930 haha yes! My garage is a muddy swamp! Have to remove the melted snow and dirt a few times a day.
I lived in Fermont, north of the 53rd parallel in Québec. Minus 40 celcius was common. Minus 50 happened. When you had to go buy grocery you've leave the engines on your car running, our it would not star when you had to go home.
Hi Julie - I remember visiting Vermont as a child, when my parents would travel from Labrador City to Newfoundland..it’s been a while, but the winters can be brutal!
Looking forward to SPRING!😊
Stay safe and warm.
Cheers🇨🇦
While Saskatchewan was sending 153MW to Alberta, Manitoba was sending over 200MW to Saskatchewan. There is a lot of power importing and exporting amongst the different energy grids in North America.
I live in the Yukon, where we don't talk about wind chill. When it says minus 50 it actually is minus 50! We are just finishing our second round of high minus 40C to minus 50 temperatures. In fact, it is minus 34C now, which is really quite pleasant. By comparison. :) As we are further West than Alberta, we get the weather before them. So if it is swarming up here, it will warm up there in a few days. Hang in there, Alberta!
I moved back to Edmonton from Whitehorse a couple of months ago, and man I did not miss the Alberta windchill in my 6 years up north. There are advantages and disadvantages to both places, but I’ve got to say that -45° in the Yukon felt nicer than -30° on the prairies.
I have to agree. -50c in Whitehorse is better than -30c in Winnipeg.
Ive been in -48 in Saskatchewan. So cold the tires on the car froze and the flat spots on the bottom of the wheel remained, where they rested, while the car was parked.. As the car moved it became a bumpy ride as the flat spots revolved. Bump bump bump bump. 🤪
BC also sent power to Alberta. BC generates its power primarily through water (hydro), so we don't have the same electrical generation problems. Here in southern BC, we got down to minus 25, but it only lasted for three days.
It cracked one of our huge hemlocks- the sudden cold got in and broke it right up the trunk. We had to leave our house for a couple of days while we waited for it to be removed.
I live in Saskatchewan, we sent them power also and we had the same cold snap.
It was sask that sent the power. BC always has a reason they can’t.
“Following a second grid alert that warned potential rotating blackouts, Sask Premier Scott Moe posted that surplus power it was sending Alberta’s way was coming from natural gas and coal fired plants”
Us very cold provinces need reliable energy from the resources that BC hates
Hope you guys are getting tons of power from that flooding it says is hitting.
And not sure how old you are I am assuming young but -25 is completely different then -50 and we used to get -25 for weeks on end. Only a BCr lol
@@katg3341yes and thank you!
@@derekpam7149 We sent 200 megawatts to AB during the cold snap. That cold hit us, too, you know. We broke consumption records. We did, however send the aforesaid 200 megawatts. Oh, and why do you feel it necessary to be so snippy? Honestly, that chip on your shoulder is very unattractive. Grow up.
It’s the Rocky Mountains and coastal air hits cold air that causes it. Investigate a “Chinook” for southern portion of the province. I’m from Calgary and we can get days where it’s -20 Celsius and then warm up and be +10 Celsius in the afternoon. Nothing beats a 30 degree change with in 12 hours. I live in the most beautiful and picturesque place in the world. The great outdoors is where we live. Even in the cities we keep huge provincial parks and green spaces in every community. When I wake up and have a coffee on my back deck I love seeing the mountains.
Frostbite happens in only a few minutes on exposed skin at -50. As a kid we had a -50 day and I thought, I’ll want to know how cold that feels, I opened the door. stuck my face out, had a blast of freezing wind hit me, and I slammed the door. I had a bit of frost nip under my eye for a couple decades
In one minute not even.
it hurts the eyeballs! what really got me was how the snow behaved when you walk on it.. SQUEE SQUEE SQUEE.. hehe
Always say "you know it's cold when your nose hairs crisp up." Frigid temps just cut like a knife. Actually feels sharp to the body.
I sure don't miss standing at the bus stop in the cold until I can't feel my legs......
Thanks Tyler, I love your American views on Canada, and this one about Alberta for sure! I went in hibernation for a week, after freezing my hands while wearing gloves and dressed for - 30! It took 20 minutes to get the pain out of my fingers, after just being outside for 10 minutes! Never again! It is the wind (chill) that makes it easy 15 degrees colder. Hi from Edmonton Alberta!❤🧡💚💜❤
You gotta be careful, frozen hair breaks, lol. Alberta gets that cold because the mountains on the west side of the province block the warm air from the Pacific Ocean. The polar vortex generally starts in the northern part of the province. It is usually pretty cold there every year, at least compared to where I am in Southern Ontario. It was -1 where I am during this cold snap in Alberta. My friend and I were busting an other friends chops cuz she lives there and was stuck inside.
Tyler needs to read this! I came here to explain it because it annoyed me that he kept asking, "Why Alberta," but never looked it up. I also love that you know it and don't even live here.
@odinskeeperscosplay8239 my parents lived in Cold Lake at the Air Force base. My older siblings lived there, and mom was pregnant with me. They have lots of stories. We also have family and friends who live there. Beautiful province, but I'm partial to Ontario lol
@@odinskeeperscosplay8239to be fair, Tyler is American and the OP is Canadian, so obviously more familiar with our geography and weather
No, it is not that the mountains block the warm weather from the West. It is because cold air is denser and thus drops to the lower levels like the prairies. It acts like a gargantuan valley and a shift in the jet stream will fill the interior of the entire North American West with cold Arctic air. It got very cold as far south as Texas at this time, though not as cold as the Canadian prairies!
minus 40 is the same in both systems, and 9 degrees F is 5 degrees C, so 10 below -40 C is 18 below -40 F, the -58 that your calculator obtained. Usually in Edmonton, -25 F is something we only get once in a while, and it's extremely cold. We had -40 one year or two recently, though. Up north in Alberta, yes, it can be extremely cold. Alaska is coastal, so it's warmer than Canada at the same latitude - we can be as cold as Siberia.
I remember a few years ago a headline about someplace near Edmonton that said ‘colder than Mars.’ 🥶
I remember one time in Edmonton circa 1960, during a cold snap some of the big department stores stayed open all night allowing people to stay indoors, warm and safe. Also, the front fender of our car was so frozen it shattered when another card gave it a very slight bump.
At -48C my husband was going to work and clearing the roads overnight for people to get work and we live in Central Alberta, these temperatures were this low for almost two weeks, but you just have to carry on and wrap up well when you go outside!
Record breaking doesn't happen all the time but in the parts of Canada that regularly hit -30s C you just have done it every winter. You know what's up and own good winter gear. Having a winter power outage plan is useful anywhere its cold.
I had to go to college in -48 that week, man it was so cold. Everyone was dressed like they were going on an arctic exploration, it was great.
It was pretty impressive how quickly everyone turned off their lights though, I got to pull out my candles and did my homework via candle light.
About that with Andrew Chang is one of my favourite shows. In general this show is great!
Like a summer vacation. Just balmy. From freezing temperatures to freezing rain. Welcome to Canada.
I live in Alberta and that alert was pretty shocking. Fortunately, there were no rolling blackouts or power shutdowns, but it was pretty worrying. Our furnace has died during cold snaps in the past and the temperature in your home drops pretty quickly. Within three hours, our interior temperature dropped by 5 C, which felt pretty cold, even with a sweater. It also risks freezing your water pipes, which can cause thousands of dollars in damage to your home.
Still, as bad as our winters can be, the summers here are incredible. We have 16 hours of sunlight, warm but not humid temperatures (25 - 30 C), and lots and lots of sunlight.
FYI, the forecast is expecting above freezing temperatures in most of Alberta next week...
Thank you Saskatchewan 💕🙏🏻
@@tamibenz6626 You betcha, neighbour!
@@madguitarist we would do the same for you 💕💕🙏🏻
Using more than we have... that is why the provincial grid is connected east to SK, west to BC, and south to Montana. We can import the power to not have issues. We also have some battery storage, and some other generators not usually used to help with peak demand. Other than Texas, I think all other states are also connected to a shared grid, to be able to import/export power too.
Yes. This was a fun-filled weather this last week.
As someone who grew up in Pincher Creek, AB, where the strong wind is a constant thing we live with, I knew how to layer up properly with this deep freeze. I was in North of Calgary where it first hit. Had to walk places in the cold. All I can say is that my Long Johns were a huge save. Wasn’t too cold because of the layers, but the ice build up on my eye lashes were quite fashionable 😂
I moved to Alberta (edmonton) in 1991 and it was the beginning of a 'cold snap'.. we had -50C to -40C for FIVE WEEKS.. and due to a fight with our moving company we all had no winter gear. I was standing waiting for a bus in minus 50 weather.. You have about five minutes.. before you start getting frostbite. At that level of cold.. snow is like syrofoam.. salt doesn't work on ice.. things will freeze in seconds.. if you don't have winter oil in your car.. it will not start.. period. You NEED a block heater if you want to ever start your car.. sometimes.. a heatgun to get into your car. It's something you have to experience... even people from Eastern Canada can't relate.
edit: it's possible the colder temperatures included wind-chill.. it's a long time ago, and likely many times I included wind chill.. though I do know it stayed close to minus 40 for almost 5 weeks. One thing that Edmonton does have.. is an underground.. you can walk anywhere in the city via the underground pedways.. so even when it's -40 you can still go a few blocks.. come up to the surface.. get a coffee.. then go back to the pedway labyrinth. :)
I agree. I live in PEI. It gets to -34C with the wind chill for a few days and that's cold enough for me. I cant imagen -40 to -50C
I have lived in Alberta my whole life and i have never heard of winter oil. Is that because that is all you can buy here?
Ah , good old days. I remember them well.
Winter oil? I'm in southern Alberta. I use the same 5w30 all year round.
@@shawnwharry952 5w30 is your typical oil. 5w20 (synthetic) is better for winters. if you have full-synthetic, it's even better for winters. And if you know how to deal with the cold, you don't even need a block heater.... Unless if you got 5w30, or higher for temps lower than -44c.
Remote Car starters aren't the greatest either, for winter. The vehicle doesn't fully engage when remotely started. At these temps, ideal only to let the remote start stay for 5 minutes, then should be physically started. But in my opinion, I'd recommend NOT using remote start under -40, unless you got a block heater plugged in.
I grew up in Ottawa and when I was a teen we had a winter where we got 13ft of snow and Feb was 3 weeks of -40 without counting wind chill factor. I shovelled driveways for pocket cash so I came out of that winter in VERY good shape. Then again, we grew up with it so we had the clothing and dressed to keep warm. Lots of wool and down...I have to say when It is that cold EVERYTHING freezes quickly.
Yep, a friend of mine lives there, and it was -58C recently. They had to turn off all possible power, to make sure there was enough to keep people's heat going.
Edmonton checking in! Yes we got super cold, and indeed we got down to -49C. However, that wasn't super typical. That was the polar vortex. Yesterday it was 10C(around 50F) out, 2 weeks after the -49C. The weather this year has been incredibly wonky with both an el nino and a polar votex instability. Pretty much all my snow melted off this week.
I live in Calgary. You could only be outside for 5 minutes and come inside with minor frostbite. Dog only got out for 2 minute pee breaks at a time
i'm from Alberta and I remember on Jan 13 I held a late Christmas party at my place with a bunch of friends. We were shocked when we got the alert. We turned off our music (unplugged all radios, speakers) we turned off and unplugged the Christmas Tree, turned off computers. We kept lights off unless we really needed it. everyone used their phone flashlights when using the washroom or if they were worried their phone would lose too much charge then we'd use the normal light. We only used the tv for the last 2 hours of the party cause it was needed for the activities. But ya that was an insanely crazy cold two weeks!
Hey Tyler This was literally less than 2 weeks ago and believe me it was cold and scary. We are in the prairies and close to the mountains. It’s always cold here at that time of year but this was insanely cold. You couldn’t even go outside without every inch of your body covered or you could freeze in less than 4-5 mins.
When I worked up in Fort MacMurray Alberta there were times when we worked down to -55 C (-67 F). One of the first things you would notice was a lack of traction in the snow and ice because the soles of your boots would freeze solid in a few minutes. Uncovered skin would be frostbit in a few minutes. If there was a wind, any kind of wind, the temperature you felt could be far lower.
Back in 1968-1969 we had 34 continuous days of sub zero weather, 24 days of -20 or lower, on the Fahrenheit scale here in Alberta where the lowest wind chill temperature was recorded at -93 F. You left your vehicle run 24 hours a day because if you shut it off it would not start again in half an hour. If you had half a tank of gas you filled up so you won't run dry. Battery boosting could be very dangerous as frozen batteries can explode if you try. Many heavy trucks stopped moving even though they were still running because their frames could break in half if they were loaded up with cargo so snow removal was a big problem. I had a paper route at the time and my Mother would take me along my route. I could only deliver three papers at a time before I needed to get warmed up. If you saw someone at a bus stop you automatically stopped and offered them a ride because they could freeze to death waiting for a bus. Cab waits were 24 hours or more. Tow trucks 72 hours or more and then they might not be able to help you or clear stalled vehicles if they were drifted in. Some streets were impassable due to stalled cars.
We manage to survive just like the folks in Alaska do. Living with the winter cold is something you just do. Just like those who live in the desert when the heat skyrockets.
The scariest thing about this most recent deep freeze was when we got the emergency warning to shut off unnecessary appliances, etc. It made me a little nervous because I had little faith that people would comply, living in the times we are. HOWEVER, I was happily surprised when people heeded the warning and there were no rolling black outs that happened. The grid held. Thankful. Also thankful that our weather is once again WAY ABOVE normal temps and everything is melting. Crazy
We live in AB we take care of each other, I’m assuming you moved here??
I was in Fort McMurray Alberta in 2004 and experienced a week of -50C ( two days of around -48 a day of -50 and then two more days of -40 something). At the time I was driving a 1990 Toyota Tercel, and it managed to start the day of -50 (I had the block heater plugged in) ....
The suspension was completely frozen and would not move at all as the oil in the shocks was frozen, and the flat spot on the tires, from being parked overnight, stayed flat even after driving several kilometers to work. It was a VERY rough drive with the car hopping along with not round tires and rigid suspension.
A few days later, it had warmed up to -30C .... and I remember shovelling the walkway in a hoodie, no jacket, as it seemed so warm out. Quite the experience.
Working in Southern Ontario over 36 yrs I've been outside in 40C and minus 43C during my career.
I lived in Edmonton in the early 80's from Jan till Mar. For a few days it was -78 C with the windchill, the buses were on strike and I had to walk to work. I moved back to PEI and we were buried in snow, there were tunnels in some places because of drifting. The next fall I moved to Calgary. Chinooks, gotta love 'em. lol
I am from Alberta and live there still. I have spent a lot of time in the Northwest Territories, there I saw even colder. Below -60c
Raised in yukon and lived in Yellowknife . Typical was -40 we considered it cold at -60
@@chuckandjenbridges721 I was up in resolute Bay north of Yellowknife. Yes -60 you it is cold.
Alberta weather sure is fun
It was in the +10°s in December and now suddenly -50° a few days later
And to make it even weirder, as i write this, the temperature this week is back above 0°
I used to work with the medical examiners office in Calgary and I recall a few deep cold snaps such as this and having to retrieve bodies that had succumbed to the environment. There was a gentleman that made a choice not to be with us and lit his van on fire and when the fire department put it out it was a huge block of ice we had to chip away at it until we found him fused to the front wheel. That was a horribly cold evening. But not the worst. Also the man that was hit by the C train and was carrying multiple cans of Sardines. We had to crawl under the train a sort between flesh and fish that was all frozen to the under carriage. Good times. Not.
😳
😱😳
😮😮😮
We had a week of these extreme temperatures across the Prairies. It was in the -36 to-40 C with windchills of -47 to -57C. at my house in Saskatchewan. I shoveled snow in that. Skin freezes in seconds.But you bundle up and do what you have to as fast as possible. Prairie winters are severe at times. Alberta just got the worst of it this time. Manitoba and Saskatchewan both lent power to them during their grid crisis. They will do the same for us someday.
Don't forget we had hectares of forests burning in both Albetta and BC during the months of summer and autumn . These forests USED TO ACT AS A BUFFER from the ARCTIC North. NOW they have been depleted.😢 thus both AB and BC are receiving directly the polar air!😮😢
That has nothing to do with it at all. A 1000' tree would have little effect on the movement of the air that is tens of thousands of feet high. Takes mountains to create the effect you are talking about.
also we havent lost thaaaaaaaaaat many trees, our wilderness is quite intact still, not a barren wasteland just yet, lol.
Ridiculous. Young children would laugh at this logic. Even the random caps and emojis can't save it.
Ya i worked outside during the -50 snap and ya it sucked pulled truck door handle right off it made stuff that brittle