WestJet, Canada’s second-largest airline says it had to cancel more than 200 flights because it was too cold to de-ice aircraft. On Saturday, wind chill temperatures went as low as -90 degrees F at Edmonton International Airport, one of about 20 airports the airline serves in the western half of the country. “This morning on January 13, 2023, temperatures rendered de-icing fluid ineffective in Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Kelowna, Kamloops, Fort McMurray, Prince George, Grand Prairie, Yellowknife and Fort St. John,” WestJet said in a notice on its website Saturday. It was also too cold for staff to work outside for any length of time, and boarding bridges and other ground equipment wouldn’t work.
Schedules got back to normal in some areas Sunday as temperatures started to moderate with highs expected in the -20s. However, weather forecasters are predicting a major snowstorm to hit the area in three days. The deep blast of Arctic air has also spread across much of the central U.S. with temperatures in the minus 30s in some areas and widespread snow and ice. About 1,000 flights were either delayed or canceled across the U.S. by Sunday afternoon.
