'White walkers': Edmontonians survive cold snap like true northerners

Edmontonians are a hardy peopleand they found a way to survive, even thrive, during a cold snapwhich has put the Prairies in a deep freeze for more than a week.

Temperatures have hovered around the 30 C mark since Christmas Day as an Arctic cold air massmoves across western Canada.

It was so cold that people from other countries started seeking advice from Edmontonians on how to endure winter.

On Thursday, someone from Philadelphia, Reddit user Throwaway4philly1, posted on the Edmonton subreddit asking how city residents survive the cold.

'Vengeful ghosts and White Walkers'

The question led one Edmontonian to jokingly divulge that the city is actually a wasteland of frozen zombies.

"We all died of frostbite years ago, and the city is filled with nothing but vengeful ghosts and White Walkers," wrote PureFicti0n.

"No poisonous snakes and spiders, no earthquakes or hurricanes, rare tornadoes," Jorryleerejoiced. "Sunlight from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. in summer. And space. Miles upon miles of nobody. There's lots to love."

The extreme temperatures forced thecancellationof the city's outdoor New Year's Eve celebrations on Sunday. The fireworks show went on outside, but the rest of the festivities moved indoors.

Outdoor enthusiasts relied on their long johns and plenty of layers to avoid becoming a blistered and frostbitten ice block while exploring Edmonton's river valley.

If it's any consolation, Edmonton will finally get some relief from the teeth-chattering cold on Monday.

An extreme cold weather warning from Environment Canada is expected to be lifted in the capital region by late afternoon, when temperatures are expected to reach a relatively balmy 9 C.