“
Epic
” and never seen for “
generations
”: the metrological services of the United States and Canada redoubled their catastrophic warnings on Friday in the face of polar temperatures risking reaching -50 degrees in the American northeast and the Canada is subjected to an icy wind.
The northern state of Maine in particular could see the temperature drop to -51 degrees Celsius on Friday and Saturday, according to a National Weather Service (NWS) bulletin for the Caribou region, not far from the border with Canada.
" It's an
epic
arctic
(cold) snap
", never seen on the scale of a "
generation
", in particular "
something that northern and eastern Maine have not experienced since 1982 and 1988
,” notes the NWS.
“
Lowest level for decades
”
In parts of the American Northeast, and this region of New England, temperatures under an icy wind "
could reach their lowest level in decades or even a level never before recorded
", according to the NWS.
On the other side of the border, polar cold alerts have been issued for eastern Canada, according to the Ministry of the Environment, which warned of the risk of frostbite within minutes.
The temperature felt like -41° in Montreal on Friday afternoon.
The mercury could drop to -50° in the more northern regions of Quebec.
White smoke, called "
Arctic Sea Smoke
," was billowing over the St. Lawrence River due to the extreme cold passing over the unfrozen water.
Strong gusts of wind hit the few passers-by in downtown Montreal on a sunny Friday, AFP journalists noted.
Read alsoPolar cold spells are linked to global warming
The electricity company Hydro-Québec was preparing for a historic consumption threshold to occur on Friday and Saturday and called on its customers to save energy.
The worst of the cold in the United States is expected to hit overnight from Friday to Saturday, especially in Boston and New York, further south, where it could be -15°.
Before the temperatures rise again on Sunday.
Rain, snow, storms, polar cold and humid heat: the northeastern United States is subject throughout the year to extreme weather phenomena which are accompanied by loss of human life and material damage.
Most recently, during the 2022 Christmas weekend, a blizzard and snowstorm hit the city of Buffalo in upstate New York, killing dozens.
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