Residents of Windsor-Essex and most of southwestern Ontario are dealing with an unwanted Christmas this week: Frigid arctic temperatures.

Wednesday morning’s air temperatures were so low — a bone-chilling -19 C at Windsor Airport — that Environment Canada issued an extreme cold warning for the region at 5 a.m.

The warning was lifted around 10:45 a.m., but the freezing air remained. Combined with the wind chill factor, conditions felt like -25 C to -30 C, according to the federal agency’s weather offices.

And local residents shouldn’t expect relief anytime soon. Environment Canada forecasts that the cold air mass will continue to affect Windsor-Essex for the rest of the week, over the weekend, and into next week.

Daytime temperatures are expected to stay well-below zero and nighttime temperatures are expected to regularly reach negative double digits until at least Jan. 2 — and likely beyond.

The average high for our region this time of year is 0 C and the average low is around -6 C.

All members of the public are advised to cover up when outside, as the temperatures we’re experiencing now can cause frostbite on exposed skin in a matter of minutes.

Older family members, friends, and neighbours should especially be checked upon.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit issued its own cold warning for the city and region, and advised members of the public to visit wechu.org for tips on dealing with the potentially dangerous temperatures.

Across the border, the U.S. National Weather Service reported that Detroit tied its lowest temperature for Dec. 27 in 92 years.

The last time Detroit endured a Dec. 27 as cold as it was on Wednesday morning (-20 C), it was 1925.

Meanwhile, Windsor’s temperature record for the date remained unbroken. Environment Canada’s historical data shows that Dec. 27, 1944, was officially colder, at -20.6 C.

The record for the warmest Dec. 27 in Windsor-Essex is actually more recent: 15.3 C in 2008.

What’s the cause of this week’s cold snap? According to the Weather Network, it’s the good ol’ Polar Vortex: the permanent low pressure area around the Arctic that frequently pushes freezing air into Central and Eastern Canada.

The Weather Network predicts the current frigid pattern will relax in the second week of January.