This is a recent article from the Edmonton Journal about the winters in Canada. After reading this, it makes us appreciate how very fortunate we are to have a home in Sunny Mexico. See the year round temperature of Manzanillo here.

EDMONTON — It was colder in Edmonton Sunday than anywhere else in North America.

Sunday also marked the coldest Dec. 13 in Edmonton’s history, said Environment Canada meteorologist Pierre Lessard said.

Environment Canada recorded a frigid -46.1 C, or -58.4 C with wind chill, at the Edmonton International Airport at 5 a.m., Lessard said.

The old record of -36.1 C was set last year, he said.

“To break a temperature by 10 degrees is very exceptional,” said Lessard.

The temperature record from Edmonton’s city centre was also broken Sunday, said meteorologist John McIntyre. Environment Canada recorded a temperature of -36.5 C downtown at 8 a.m. Sunday, beating the previous record for Dec. 13 of -32.8 in 1882, McIntyre said.

A ridge of frigid Arctic air has hit all the prairie provinces this weekend, causing record-low temperatures in many parts of northern Alberta, Lessard said.

“Temperatures are very cold over Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There are some places more windy than the others, especially northern Saskatchewan and the north half of Manitoba are very cold,” he said.

But Arctic winds are normal in the winter and should pass through by the middle of this week, Lessard said.

Some flights scheduled to land at the Edmonton International Airport late Saturday night and early Sunday morning were diverted to Calgary because of the severe temperatures, said Edmonton International Airport spokeswoman Traci Bednard.

There were some delays and a couple of cancellations for flights departing Edmonton as well on Sunday morning because of the cold, she said.

“Different airlines and aircrafts have different operating limits,” Bednard said.

The wait time for a tow truck in Edmonton is 24 hours and eight hours for a light service call, said Alberta Motor Association spokesman Kent Dixon.

Eighty per cent of light service calls have been for boosts, Dixon said.

“Below -15 is when you should be plugging (your car) in. It’s absolutely necessary, it’s not a question,” he said.

Even if people don’t plan on going outside in between parking cars in two heated garages, people should always dress for outside conditions, Dixon said.

“It’s really severely cold out right now, and if, for whatever reason, you get stuck or have to wait in a vehicle or get out, you’re going to be thankful pretty quickly that you were dressed appropriately for outside temperatures,” Dixon said.

Dixon recommends keeping a blanket and an emergency kit in all vehicles.

“Act accordingly, be prepared and don’t put your safety at risk,” he said.

ciltan@thejournal.canwest.com

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

Come visit and experience the beauty of Manzanillo yourself!