Ottawa the coldest capital on earth

Statues in the Valiants Memorial decorated with scarves for the needy.

Winter's unrelenting extreme cold weather has given Ottawa the title of the coldest capital in the world. At least for Monday, Februrary 23, 2015.

These are just a sample of the temperatures from world capitals recorded Monday morning.

Ottawa -23

Ulan Bator -18

Astana -12

Washington -2

Reykjavik -1

Moscow +2

Helsinki +2

Tallinn +2

Stockholm +3

Prague +7

The bone chilling weather is affecting local retail sales and restaurants. Many sales or restaurant visits are down 20% compared to last winter.

The cold weather is helping the Rideau Canal skateway glide to a new record. As of Wednesday, the skateway will break the record with 47 consecutive days of skating. The NCC estimates over 680 thousand people have gone for a skate on the Rideau Canal.

On the bright side, February is almost over and most retail stores are starting to stock spring wear.