Baby it’s cold outside.
The Stettler region, and most of east-central Alberta, received its coldest weather this winter Tuesday morning as the wind-chill caused temperatures to dip to minus-42 C.
Blowing snow contributed to the deep freeze as many students stayed home from school. Buses didn’t run in parts of the Clearview School Division, though most schools remained open.
“We decided to cancel the buses in the rural areas for the safety of the students,” Clearview superintendent John Bailey said Tuesday.
“All schools are open, even when the buses don’t run. Parents have the ultimate decision whether to send their children to school.”
While buses transported students within Stettler town limits, routes were cancelled in Erskine, Big Valley, Botha, Donalda, Byemoor, Halkirk, Castor, Coronation and Brownfield, Clearview reported on its website.
“We had some snowdrifts in many areas,” Bailey said.
Under division policy, buses generally are sidelined when temperatures fall to minus-35 C, and roads put student safety at risk, Bailey said.
“We do it in consultation with bus drivers.”
Today is a school holiday — for another reason.
After a division-wide professional development day for teachers today, students are scheduled to return to classes Thursday.
Temperatures are projected to jump Thursday to lows of minus-18 and high of minus-8, while the mercury is slated to hit plus-1 on Friday.
Several drifts in the rural areas of the County of Stettler kept maintenance crews busy Tuesday.