Canada's national weather agency has extended its extreme cold warning for the Rocky View County region, including Cochrane, with temperatures forecasted to hit record lows of around -40 C this week.
In comparison, it was a balmy -29 C on this day in '93 — Cochrane's lowest temperature on record for Jan. 5.
Environment Canada warned residents in Mountain View and Rocky View counties to take extra precautions against the harsh cold in a statement issued Wednesday, Jan. 5.
Meteorologist Sara Hoffman said it's typical in Alberta to see a cold snap in the winter months, noting Cochrane smashed three of its coldest-temperature records set in the '90s over the holidays.
Boxing Day, mercury plummeted to -36.6 C, bumping its 1996 record of -32.5 C. Dec. 27 saw temperatures sink to -39.1 C, registering 9.1 degrees colder than its predecessor in '92. And finally, New Year's Day beat out its 1991 -30 C record when temperatures were marked at -33.7 C.
A change in the weather is coming, though, said Hoffman.
"Starting late Sunday and into Monday morning, those Chinook winds that Alberta is so famous for will start to warm up things around the foothills and southern Alberta and by around Tuesday it will spread across the province," she said.
In the meantime, the federal agency continues to warn that risks are greater for young children, older adults and people with chronic illnesses or those who work outside.
Helping Hands Society of Cochrane and Area executive director Chairra Nicolle said a portion of people that utilize the Free Food Shed either don't have proper winter gear, their own vehicle, or both, leaving them more vulnerable to the cold.
"That's one of the reasons why we decided to put the shed there [at St. Andrew's United Church] where it is centrally located so people can take COLT and walk there," she said.
During cold snaps, Helping Hands staff visit the shed more frequently to clean, check supply levels and to ensure foods in the pantries and refrigerator don't freeze.
Many canned items did freeze, however, due to an increase in shed usage over the holidays and the pantry door being opened so frequently.
Helping Hands has since received Big Hill Electrical's help to install an additional heater in the pantry, and plans to lay insulation over the back door, which will stay locked during extreme cold.
During some of their visits, Nicolle said she noticed a few people using the shed that were under-dressed for the conditions.
"Those individuals that I did talk to at the shed over the cold snap, I would say they were in jeans and maybe a sweater, where I was in a parka and winter boots with a toque." she said. "It would be great to have maybe a resource of also providing some winter gear to those individuals when we have cold snaps like this."
Environment Canada said in their statement that frostbite is a major concern in extreme cold.
"Cover up. Frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin, especially with wind chill."
Motorists are also reminded to ensure they have extra blankets and jumper cables in case of car troubles.
Meanwhile, pet owners are reminded to keep their furry friends indoors.
"If it's too cold for you to stay outside, it's too cold for your pet to stay outside."
