Extreme Cold Warnings Are In Place For Parts Of Alberta & It Could Feel Like Minus 50 Degrees

Albertans will probably want to stay inside and keep warm today as parts of the province could be as cold as minus 50 degrees.

Weather warnings from Environment Canada said northern and eastern parts of Alberta could see some seriously cold temperatures over the course of Thursday, February 2.

"Extremely cold wind chill values" of around minus 40 or colder are expected in those parts of the province this morning, before easing off in the afternoon.

Areas around Bonnyville, Fort Chipewyan, Fort McMurray, High Level, Lloydminster, Peace River, Slave Lake, and Wabasca are most likely to be impacted by the cold snap.

"The coldest wind chill values, near minus 50, are over eastern parts of the province this morning," EC added.

Anyone in those areas has been warned to layer up if they're going outside to protect themselves from frostbite, which can develop in minutes, especially with wind chill.

According to The Weather Network, a "reinforcing blast of frigid air" is to blame for the cold that's hovering over the prairies.

However, the good news is on the horizon as milder weather is set to spread across Alberta on Thursday before heading across the eastern Prairies too.

The latest cold spell could be a sign of things to come for the rest of February as Alberta's Spring forecast has anticipated intense storms and heavy snow in the province.

Storms are likely to be pretty common throughout the rest of spring too, but luckily temperatures will be near normal and precipitation will be average across the prairies.