MONCTON – Wednesday was another day on the weather roller coaster across the Maritimes.
After warm rain and temperatures in the mid-teens in southern areas on Tuesday, the whole region was experiencing very cold air and strong wind Wednesday night.
The dramatic drop in temperatures is what people across the Maritimes are having the most difficulty with.
Parts of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and southern New Brunswick experienced the most dramatic dips, with some areas seeing the mercury drop 15 to 20 degrees in just 24 hours.
"I'm not even in a winter jacket," said Simcha Attis. "I don't even have it out yet."
With a biting wind rolling off the water, only the bundled-up braved the walking trails.
"I think it's part of the weather now," said Mireille Roy. "You have to expect the fluctuation and variation."
While the temperature may have only read -5 C, when you factor in the wind chill, Moncton felt more like a bitter -15 on Wednesday -- a stark contrast to Tuesday's 14C. A fluctuation in temperatures that extreme can potentially be dangerous.
"When it gets really cold, especially if it's early on, people, you know, forget, because they think it's still summer or fall," said Eric Beairsto of Ambulance New Brunswick. "People can get, if they're underdressed, they can get hypothermia, they can get frostbite."
Some of the most vulnerable are those without shelter from the cold.
"I was so cold that I went and drank my coffee at Tim Hortons instead of playing here," said Michel Babineau. "That's how cold I was."
Community outreach programs have been collecting winter essentials in anticipation of days like today.
"There's a little bit of a push in October to start gathering these items and making sure people have what they need," said Trevor Goodwin, the Moncton YMCA Outreach senior director.
