Western Canada and the Prairies were hit hard by a cold front that passed through over the weekend, bringing with it extremely cold temperatures.
Starting early Sunday morning, Environment Canada issued cold weather advisories for a wide chunk of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and even Manitoba.
Edmonton had temperatures between -35 and -45 degrees Celsius, as reported by CTV News. Thanks to the wind chill, temperatures plummeted to -55 degrees Celsius in some places.
The readings in Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba were also quite similar. Vancouver nevertheless saw wind chill levels of about -20 C; however, the situation was milder in British Columbia.
Officials have issued a warning to locals, stating that exposed skin can quickly develop frostbite in icy conditions.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) also wanted to warn homeowners that, in most cases, their insurance will cover damages caused by extremely cold weather.
Fire, hail, wind, and freezing are all covered by insurance, according to Rob de Pruis, national director of consumer and industry relations at IBC, who spoke with CityNews. Except for the furnace, this covers any damage to the house and its belongings, such as frozen pipes, leaks, etc.
“The insurance company will not pay for the furnace itself if it breaks and freezes your pipes,” he explained.
Even more so, Justin Penny of Hydro-Flo Plumbing and Heating provided advice on how to lessen the impact of the frigid weather on one’s property.
For fear of freezing the main water supply, Penny warned homeowners not to turn it off. Even though it takes more time for running water to freeze, he nonetheless suggested keeping the faucets slightly ajar so that a trickle may exist.
A frozen water line and a leak will suddenly become apparent “if there happens to be water [in the pipes] and you turn it back on,” he warned.
