The Middlesex London Health Unit has issued its first Cold Weather Alert of 2017.
The alert comes as Environment Canada predicts the temperature in the London area will drop below -15 C on Friday night and into Saturday morning.
“There hasn’t been a lot of cold weather so far this winter, and certainly the rain and mild temperatures we had last week didn’t help us to get prepared, so people may need a reminder to plan ahead for the conditions,” said Randy Walker, Public Health Inspector with the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “Temperatures like those we’ll have tonight have the potential to damage exposed skin and could lead to hypothermia if you aren’t dressed accordingly.”
The health unit is advising people to keep an eye out for the symptoms of hypothermia. Those symptoms include pale skin, lethargy, confusion, and hallucinations.
"Individuals may shiver a lot in the early stages of hypothermia, but shivering may decrease as body temperature continues to drop," a statement from the health unit says. "In severe cases of hypothermia individuals lose consciousness, their breathing becomes shallow and their pulse becomes irregular and hard to detect."
The statement says anyone showing these symptoms requires immediate medical treatment.
Frigid weather is particularly difficult for London's homeless population. The public is urged to donate things like blankets, sleeping bags, and warm clothing to agencies like the Men's Mission (459 York St.), the Salvation Army Centre of Hope (281 Wellington St.), and the Unity Project (717 Dundas St.)
It's expected the Cold Weather Alert will be lifted on Saturday, when the temperature reaches -10 C.