Montreal's New Year's Eve celebrations still on track as most Canadian cities change plans
City has no plans to cancel Sunday's open air celebrations despite extreme weather warning
While the bitter cold is forcing cities around Canada to alter New Year's Eve celebrations, organizers in Montreal aren't giving up just yet.
The City of Montreal says the cold weather won't affect the planned New Year's Eve party to be held Dec. 31 at the Old Port.
Environment Canada has extended the timeline of an extreme cold weather warning for the Montreal area, saying that it could feel as cold as -38 with the windchilll through the new year and into next week.
The free event on Sunday, which includes live music and a fireworks display, also coincides with the final 375th anniversary celebrations.
Organizers say they will now keep Marché Bonsecours open until 2 a.m. for people who would like to warm up inside.
The weather agency reports that bitterly cold Arctic air is generating wind chill values of between –30 and –38 across western and central Quebec.
These cold conditions will "strengthen" on Saturday evening and temperatures will remain well below seasonal values at least until the middle of next week.
Those planning to head out Sunday night to celebrate the arrival of 2018, make sure to plan ahead and dress appropriately.
Cold complicates events elsewhere
Party organizers in Quebec City are also feeling the strain from the cold, saying that preparations for their New Year's Eve celebrations have been interrupted by the weather.
Despite a slow start, organizer André Verreault told Radio-Canada that there is no plan to cancel any of the events.
Meanwhile in Ottawa, many of the events planned on Parliament Hill for both the New Year and Canada 150 celebrations have either been cancelled or relocated due to the cold weather.
Toronto, for its part, decided to shorten its celebrations.
Send your wintry Montreal photos to [email protected] or use #cbcmtl on Instagram.
With files from Radio-Canada's Alexandra Duval