NOTLers are bracing for bone-chilling temperatures this week.
The weather forecast predicts a harsh polar vortex sweeping into Niagara-on-the-Lake until Wednesday, with temperatures that could dip to -15 C and expected to go lower near the lake.
Local temperatures will dip lower than those in Fort McMurray, Alta. and even Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., where it will hover around -2 C.
NOTL residents and couple Jay Deen and Sarah Miller, born and raised in Canada, have mastered the art of staying one step ahead of winter’s worst.
“We actually put some stuff underneath the doors to prevent the cold air from coming in,” said Deen.
They also made sure their fireplace was in working order and topped up their car’s washer fluid to prepare for the freezing conditions.
“We did a little Costco stock up, too,” said Miller, who works at Right At Home Realty in town.
Deen and Miller also armed themselves with a hefty 20-kilogram bag of salt from Penner’s.
Every winter, NOTL resident Barb Lymburner can count on her son-in-law, Justin Gorgi, to shovel her driveway — a tradition he’s determined to continue, even with the polar vortex.
“It’s just a normal day in Canada,” said Gorgi — just with extra clothing layers required, he added.
He’s also getting ahead of the frigid weather by stocking up on groceries and making sure his car is winter-ready with fluids topped up.
Same with Maria Zonni, family member of a part-time local, who also plans to make sure her car has windshield fluid, antifreeze and other essentials.
Most importantly, she will have an emergency kit on hand in case she gets stuck. But warm boots and winter accessories are critical too, she said.
“I bought an extra warm hat,” said Zonni, after purchasing it from the hat shop in town on Saturday. A grocery stock-up haul is next for her.
Having been to Jasper, Alta. where temperatures reach as low as -40 C without windchill, she’s not too worried.
“If you can survive that and have your nose turned into shingles, you can survive a Canadian vortex,” said Zonni.
Starbucks on Queen Street has been brewing up a plan for the vortex as well.
“We prepared,” said supervisor Abby Mann.
Usually, when it comes to stocking up, they get one of each item, said Mann.
“But we’re preparing to bring a lot of chocolate powder and everything,” she said. “So we overstock everything.”
They mainly sell hot drinks during such weather and keep cold drinks in the fridge because they spoil quickly.
In five hours, they didn’t receive a single cold drink order. Pretty much just the warm basics, said Mann.
“Everyone likes to buy hot chocolate and coffee,” she said. And they’re all set to keep them flowing.
Regardless of what strategies they take, NOTLers are readying to weather the vortex — armed with layers and cups of hot cocoa to face the freeze.