An extreme cold weather alert for the City of Toronto remains in effect this weekend as the city gets an overdue dose of winter.
By 11 a.m. the temperature had already dropped to – 13 C at Pearson International Airport with the wind-chill making it feel more like -23 C.
Temperatures rose slightly through the day, but the temperature at 6 p.m. was still -9 C.
The frigid conditions are expected to continue through the weekend with a low of -13 C forecast for Sunday.
The temperatures are well below the average temperature of – 0.8 C recorded during a surprisingly mild January.
"It is really cold right now, but I am loving it," a man walking through Trinity Bellwoods Park told CP24 Saturday morning. "We haven't had snow for quite a while, so it's a change."
Because of the frigid forecast, the city called an extreme cold weather alert to mobilize resources and add 172 shelter spaces for the city's homeless on Friday.
During the alert, street outreach workers will try to convince homeless people to head indoors, and will offer free TTC tokens as a means of transportation to shelters.
People who see a vulnerable person who they think is in need of assistance are asked to call 311. People should call 911 for emergencies only.
The city is urging everyone to bundle up if they venture outdoors during the cold snap, and to limit their exposure to the cold.
