Roundup: Arctic blast hits North America, bringing frigid low temperatures

An Arctic air front bringing life-threatening cold started to settle in across many regions of Canada and northeastern United States.

Extreme cold weather warnings are in effect for Toronto, capital of Ontario province, Canada, and across southern Ontario Saturday, as dwellers in the biggest Canadian city woke up to record low temperatures.

It was minus 25 degrees Celsius in Toronto when the sun came up Saturday morning, but with the wind chill it felt like minus 40 degrees Celsius, cold enough to cause frostbite in just a few minutes of exposure. That's well below the city's previous record low, minus 23.2 degrees Celsius, for this date, set in 1979.

The cold weather also prompted complaints from some basketball players and other celebrities -- including rapper Snoop Dogg and the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh -- who were in Toronto for the first NBA All-Star Game weekend in Canada.

The deep freeze also grips central Canada and parts of eastern Canada, with temperatures feeling like minus 30 to minus 45 degrees Celsius with the wind chill.

Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and eastern Newfoundland all have cold alerts in areas, with Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Montreal and Fredericton expected to become the coldest cities over the next two days.

In Ottawa, capital of Canada, at least two people were treated for hypothermia and frostbite overnight as the wind made it feel like minus 40 degrees Celsius in the capital city. Environment Canada issued an extreme cold warning for Ottawa Friday. The city's public health department has also issued a frostbite warning.

Manitoba experienced the worst of the cold front Friday, its fifth day of extreme lows in temperature and wind chill values of minus 40 degrees Celsius in southern regions, dipping to minus 45 to minus 50 degrees Celsius in northern areas.

Environment Canada blames an Arctic ridge of high pressure sliding southward toward the U.S. Midwest for the extreme cold.

"Some are at greater risk than others for frostbite and hypothermia: homeless people, outdoor workers, people living in homes that are poorly insulated or with no heat or no power, people with certain medical conditions such as diabetes, peripheral neuropathy and diseases affecting the blood vessels, people taking certain medications including beta-blockers, winter sport enthusiasts, people who consume excess alcohol, infants, and seniors." the Canadian agency warned.

The weather agency says bitter north winds will keep the wind chill values between minus 30 degrees Celsius and minus 40 degrees Celsius through Saturday. Temperatures will rise somewhat Sunday and will be closer to seasonal norms by Monday, according to forecasts.

The cold snap alert activated extra services designed to get homeless people off the streets. During the alert, street outreach workers were increased to encourage people to seek shelter indoors. Drop-in centers were given public transportation tickets to help people get to shelters. Existing shelters also loosened service restrictions to allow beds for more people.

To the south of the Canada-U.S. border, the bitterly cold air mass was settling in eastern U.S. Saturday and a snow squall triggered a pileup involving dozens of vehicles on a Pennsylvania interstate that killed three people and sent scores to hospitals, according to state police.

State police confirmed more than 50 vehicles were involved in the crash, which happened around 9:45 a.m. Saturday. The pileup left tractor-trailers, box trucks and cars tangled together across three traffic lanes and into the snow-covered median of Interstate 78 about 120 kilometers northwest of Philadelphia.

Officials warned people to stay indoors away from the dangerous cold. Wind chill advisories were in effect over parts of nine U.S. states extending from northern Pennsylvania to western Maine, with forecasters expecting gusting up to 80 kilometers per hour.

New York City was bracing for its coldest night Saturday in 20 years.

Early Saturday, Mayor Bill de Blasio urged residents to take "extreme precaution" as forecasters said the high winds in New England can make it feel as cold as about minus 40 degrees Celsius.

"These temperatures can be life threatening -- especially for seniors, infants, and people with medical conditions," said de Blasio, who advised people to stay indoors and take care of each other.

The bone-chilling cold forced cancellation of events in New York City, including an ice festival in the city's Central Park. Endit