The Biggest Chill

Some of us live for summer’s warmer temperatures, while others like nothing more than a bracing mid-winter day. But even the hardiest Canuck would likely freeze at the thought of -63°C (-81.4°F). That was the temperature recorded in Snag, Yukon, on Feb. 3, 1947, and it’s still the lowest ever recorded in Canada. 

What did it feel like to experience -63°C? Those venturing outside left vapour trails that hung in the air for up to four minutes before fading. Sounds such as talking or dogs barking could be heard more than six kilometres away. 

“We threw a dish of water high in the air, just to see what would happen,” Wilf Blezard, a weather observer in Snag, noted at the time. “Before it hit the ground, it made a hissing noise, froze and fell as tiny round pellets of ice the size of wheat kernels.” 

How cool is that?