Woman dies as extreme cold covers half the country

A woman has died as extreme cold grips most of Western Canada and parts of the territories and northern Ontario.

RCMP in Dawson Creek, B.C., say the woman's death, related to exposure, happened early Sunday morning while she was walking in that northeastern city.

Investigators say she left a friend's house right next door around 1 a.m. but collapsed before arriving at her home.

Environment Canada says temperatures in Dawson Creek skidded to a frigid -42.2 C on Sunday and wind chill is making conditions across much of north and central B.C. feel close to -45.

The weather office says usually balmy Victoria and Vancouver will also see temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below the seasonal average as arctic air hovers over the province for the rest of the week.

Wind chill values from -40 to -55 are forecast all across the Prairies and as far east as northern Ontario, with similar conditions for Whitehorse and large areas of Yukon and the Northwest Territories.