Ottawa concert cancellation is proof of concept: it can be too cold for Canadians

First no hockey, now no music. Ottawa has declared that it’s officially too cold – even for Canadians.

Heritage Canada has announced that a New Year’s Eve concert planned for Ottawa has been cancelled because of an extreme cold weather warning.

The party’s cancellation on Friday came after the federal government also moved an outdoor hockey tournament indoors and away from a C$5.6m (£3.3m) temporary ice rink installed on Parliament Hill.

The forecast overnight low for the nation’s capital on Sunday is -29C, nearly 20 degrees colder than the seasonal average.

Public skating and a fireworks show on the city’s Parliament Hill will go ahead as planned on Sunday night, but Heritage Canada warned revellers have been warned to dress for the weather and “prepare accordingly to prevent frostbite and other injuries”.

Most of Canada is in the depths of a deep freeze, with temperatures across the country reaching, and in some cases breaking, cold-weather records. On Thursday Toronto shattered a 57-year record, with the mercury dipping to -22C.

Winnipeg, Manitoba – often referred to by the rest of Canada as “Winterpeg” – has roughly the same Sunday forecast as Ottawa. But according to spokeswoman Chelsea Thomson, outdoor New Year’s Eve celebrations will go ahead despite the frosty temperature.

Weather Network meteorologist Doug Gillham and his team predicted this “ferociously cold” start to winter in November by analysing long-term weather models and historic patterns, particularly in the tropical Atlantic.

Thankfully, Gillham’s predictions include an expected reprieve when the current cold snap breaks in early-to-mid-January. It’s possible temperatures may inch into the teens by mid-February but it’s too hard to say for certain exactly how long or how warm the midwinter will be.

“The cold still has a lot of fight in it,” Gillham said.

To put it all in perspective, temperatures in some regions have come close to -40C. Photographer Jared Monkman, from Hay river, Northwest Territories, said he would be grateful for a balmy -20C on New Year’s Eve.

“In Hay river, we only have outdoor hockey rinks. Minus 20 would be a glorious day outdoors for us,” Monkman said. “The town is going to come alive when it hits minus 20,” Monkman said, “While Ottawa is shutting down.”