How cold it actually feels right now and over the next three days — the wind chill, and the hours when exposed skin is at risk, on Environment Canada's scale.
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How cold it actually feels in Yellowknife right now and over the next three days — the wind chill, and the hours when exposed skin is at risk. Worked out from the temperature and wind on Environment Canada's wind chill scale.
Right now · Yellowknife
Feels like 22°C
No cold risk — No risk from the cold right now.
No frostbite risk in the forecast
The coldest it feels over the next three days is 12°C.
Coldest 12°C, around 1 am
No frostbite risk expected.
| Time | Feels like | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| midnight–midnight | 12°C | No cold risk |
Coldest 13°C, around 4 am
No frostbite risk expected.
| Time | Feels like | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| midnight–midnight | 13°C | No cold risk |
Coldest 13°C, around 5 am
No frostbite risk expected.
| Time | Feels like | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| midnight–midnight | 13°C | No cold risk |
How this is worked out
Wind chill is computed with Environment Canada’s wind chill formula from the hourly temperature and wind in the forecast — an area weather model, not a thermometer at your door. Real wind chill changes street by street with shelter, and frostbite times are for bare skin; wet skin, bare hands and a hard wind speed it up.
This is not an official cold warning
Extreme cold warnings come from Environment Canada, not this page. Check the official forecast and warnings below before you head out, especially on the land.
At a frostbite-risk wind chill, cover cheeks, nose, ears and hands — these freeze first. Mitts keep little hands warmer than gloves, and a scarf or balaclava over the face buys time at the stop.
If it's freezing exposed skin in minutes, it is hard on paws too. Keep it short, and watch for a lifted paw or limping.
In this cold a block heater is what starts the truck in the morning; give it a couple of hours on a timer before you need to leave. Keep winter survival gear in the vehicle, and if you break down on the highway stay with it — it shelters you and it's easier to spot.
There is nothing to break the wind out on Great Slave Lake, so the chill out there is harsher than in town. Check this before you go, tell someone your route and when you'll be back, dress for the open, and keep a way to warm up close at hand.
January in Yellowknife averages about -25, deep winter often sits below -30, and the coldest days on record have reached about -51. Block heaters, layers, and a plan for getting around are just part of the winter — and a cold snap can settle in for days.
In the Northwest Territories, Environment Canada issues an extreme cold warning when the temperature or the wind chill is expected to reach about -50 for at least two hours. This page shows a live model reading of how cold it feels; the official warning comes from Environment Canada, linked above.
A house cools fast once the heat is off, and outages have been more frequent on the NWT grid lately. In a cold snap, knowing how cold it feels outside — and having somewhere warm to go — matters. In Old Town and other trucked-water areas, losing power can also mean losing the water pump.
Weather data: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0). Wind chill on Environment Canada’s scale. · Updated
Source: Open-Meteo forecast (CC BY 4.0); wind chill on Environment Canada's scale, checked 18 July 2026 (2 weeks ago).