Brutal Cold Continues And Snow Is Coming Too

Posted January 24, 2011 7:20 am.

This article is more than 5 years old.

We don’t need to tell you this.

But just in case you haven’t stepped outside in the past few days, we’re warning you: it’s cold outside.

It’s really, really, cold.

An extreme cold weather alert issued by the City of Toronto on Friday has been cancelled – but that doesn’t mean we’re in for a reprieve.

On Monday, Toronto will see a high of -5C and that won’t come until the evening. The early morning hours were the coldest, with the mercury dipping to -20C by 6am. But that wasn’t the worst of it: with the wind chill, it felt like -28C.

In fact, all of southern Ontario is affected by the brutal cold snap. Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the area stretching along much of the north shore of Lake Ontario.

Yes, it gets worse. Parts of the Golden Horseshoe, Toronto, and York Region are all expected to see snow on Monday, with about five centimetres sticking around.

And after that, an Alberta Clipper will sweep across southern Ontario on Monday afternoon into Tuesday, bringing an additional two to five centimetres of snow.

Preventing Frozen Pipes

Over the past 24 hours Toronto Fire Services has responded to more than 450 calls, only 25 of which were fire-related. Here are some tips to prevent frozen pipes and avoid unnecessary requests for help.

To prevent freezing:

Leave a cold-water tap running slowly at a level just above a drip.
Leave cupboard doors under sinks open, especially if the sink piping is next to an outside wall.
Shut off and drain pipes leading to outside faucets.
Do not turn the furnace below 12C during absences or at night.
Seal any leaks that allow cold air inside where pipes are located.
Locate and insulate pipes most susceptible to freezing: near outside walls, in crawl spaces, and in attics. Many hardware stores carry foam pipe insulation for this purpose.
If you plan to be away, have someone check your house daily to make sure the heat is on and no problems occur. Alternatively, shut off and drain the water system (except fire sprinkler systems).

To thaw frozen pipes:

Locate the suspected frozen area of the water pipe (commonly next to outside walls or where your water service enters your home through the foundation).
Leave a cold-water tap downstream of that location open so you know that the pipe has thawed when the water begins flowing again.
If you are unable to locate the frozen section of pipe, or are unsure of what to do, contact a licensed plumber.

When the weather warms up: