Environment Canada warns of-35 to -40 windchills in Ottawa, cold warning still in effect

CTV’s Kimberley Fowler shares the full weather forecast for Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026.

Environment Canada’s yellow warning-cold is still in effect for the Ottawa area, cautioning of -35 to -40 wind chills on Sunday evening.

According to Environment Canada, the daytime high will reach -15 C and, in the afternoon, the windchill will reach – 23. Overnight, the low is -26 C and the windchill will reach -34.

“Cold warnings are issued when very cold temperatures or wind chill creates an elevated risk to health such as frost bite and hypothermia,” Environment Canada says.

A yellow warning denotes hazardous weather that “may cause damage disruption, or health impacts.”

“Risks are greater for young children, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, people working or exercising outdoors, and those without proper shelter,” Environment Canada writes.

• Hourly and 7-day forecast on our CTVNewsOttawa.ca weather hub

The yellow warning-cold is in effect across most of eastern Ontario.

Cold warning

Environment Canada says people should be mindful of cold related symptoms, including shortness of breath, muscle pain and muscle weakness, numbness and colour change in the fingers and toes.

“Cover up. Frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin, especially with wind chill.”

According to Ottawa Public Health, these are the four signs of frostbite:

• “Affected areas will look red, white, bluish-white, grayish-yellow, purplish, brown or ashen, depending on the severity of the condition and the person’s usual skin color.”
• “Affected areas will become painful.”
• “White, waxy-feeling patches will appear. This means skin is dying.”
• “Affected areas will then feel numb.”

If signs of frostbite begin to develop, Environment Canada suggests getting indoors and warming up.

• How to prevent and treat frostbite

The organization also says pet owners should be mindful of the cold.

“If it’s too cold for you to stay outside, it’s too cold for your pet to stay outside,” Environment Canada says.

Forecast

While it will an especially frigid day on Sunday, the sun will be shining during the day.

On Monday, there will be a mix of sun and clouds, and the temperature will reach a high of -12 C. The windchill will be -34 in the morning, but warm to -19 by the afternoon. There is a risk of frostbite.

Tuesday’s forecast predicts a 70 per cent chance of snow and a temperature high of -6 C.

Wednesday, the temperature will reach -3 C and there is a 30 per cent chance of flurries.

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