Bitter Cold, Dangerous Wind Chills, and Snow Squalls Ahead
The coldest air we’ve seen so far this winter is pushing into Newfoundland and Labrador tonight, bringing more than just low temperatures with it. This is a classic Arctic outbreak — meaning dangerous wind chills, snow squalls, and additional snowfall will all be part of the story over the next couple of days.
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What’s Driving This Pattern?
A weak area of low pressure and its associated cold front are moving across the region. While the system itself doesn’t look particularly strong on satellite imagery, the air behind it is extremely cold, with temperatures well below normal across Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and Nunavut. That cold air is now making a run at our province.
Labrador sees the first punch overnight, with the Arctic air spreading onto the island through Wednesday.
Extreme Cold Warning for Labrador
Because of this initial blast, Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued a yellow-level Extreme Cold Warning for:
Churchill Valley
Churchill Falls
Labrador City & Wabush
Wind chills will fall as low as –50 late tonight into Wednesday morning.
By midnight tonight, wind chills in western Labrador drop into the –40s, with the cold intensifying through the day Wednesday. Eastern parts of Labrador will also see wind chills plunge into the –30s to near –40, and it’s possible the warning may expand farther east.
Wind Chills Spread Across the Island
Labrador won’t be alone in feeling this cold air. As it moves over Newfoundland:
Wind chills Wednesday morning fall into the –10s to –20s province-wide
Gusty northwest winds of 50–60 km/h will add to the bite
By midday, wind chills reach around –17 in St. John’s, –26 in St. Anthony, and remain in the –20s through the day
This will feel like a sharp shock to the system, even for January.
Snow Squalls: Narrow, Intense, and Hard to Predict
As Arctic air passes over the relatively warm ocean waters surrounding Newfoundland, snow squalls will develop — a classic setup for the island.
Yellow-level Snow Squall Watches are in effect for:
Gross Morne
Bay St. George
Corner Brook and Vicinity
Deer Lake - Humber Valley
Burin Peninsula
Southeast Avalon
Southwest Avalon
While Port aux Basques is not currently under a watch, conditions there are favourable for snow squalls, and people in that area should be prepared.
What Makes Snow Squalls Tricky?
Snow squalls are narrow bands of very heavy snow. One community could see near-blizzard conditions while another just a few kilometres away sees very little. They’re smaller-scale weather features, which makes exact placement difficult to forecast.
If you end up under one:
Visibility can drop rapidly
Roads will become snow-covered in minutes
Blowing and drifting snow will be an issue due to the cold, dry nature of the snow
Snowfall Amounts (Highly Variable)
Through early Thursday morning:
Coastal Labrador: 5–15 cm
Burin Peninsula, Southeast Avalon, Southwest Newfoundland: generally 5–15 cm, but local totals of 15–25 cm are possible under persistent squalls
Higher terrain west of Deer Lake and in the Long Range Mountains: 15–30 cm
Lower elevations: closer to 5–15 cm
Keep in mind: totals will vary dramatically over short distances.
Looking Ahead: More Snow Thursday, Then Cold Locks In
Thursday morning starts relatively quiet, but snow returns to the southwest by afternoon and spreads east during the evening. The Avalon could see snow changing briefly to rain or drizzle before ending overnight, with 5–10 cm of fresh snow in many areas.
Friday improves, but colder air returns quickly:
Friday: the mildest day of the next several
Highs through the weekend and early next week remain well below normal
This cold pattern favours quieter weather overall, as storm systems tend to track well south when Arctic air dominates — good news for outdoor rinks, but tough on exposed skin.
Bottom Line
Dangerous wind chills in Labrador tonight and Wednesday
Bitter cold spreads across Newfoundland Wednesday
Snow squalls could cause sudden travel hazards, especially in western, southern, and eastern coastal areas
Cold dominates into next week
Stay weather-aware, dress for the wind, and keep an eye on rapidly changing conditions if you’re travelling.
More updates to come.
I’ll have my next update posted tomoorrow morning!
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