Parts of Canada will be bitterly cold this weekend but don’t call it a polar vortex [Video]

A rush of Arctic air will plunge parts of North America into bitter cold this weekend, bringing heavy snow, strong winds and frigid temperatures to parts of Canada.

Meteorologists say temperatures could plunge by as much as 30 C in parts of the country over the coming days — so if the temperature in your neighbourhood has typically been hovering around 5 C, it could plummet to a shocking –25 C.

“For many places this will be the coldest weekend of the season so far,” said CBC climate specialist Darius Mahdavi.

“Definitely a big change compared to the mild winter most of Canada has been experiencing.”

Wind chills could reach –40 C in northern Alberta and roughly –45 C in parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, according to Environment Canada. Abysmal snowy weather already led to pileups on highways and warnings from hospitals in southern Manitoba on Friday.

WATCH | Is the polar vortex to blame for this weekend’s weather?: A big outbreak …