Residents in Arviat, Nunavut, have been advised to stay indoors as a high-impact blizzard is producing whiteout conditions and extreme cold across the community. Environment Canada issued an Orange Blizzard Warning on Jan. 23, 2026, with peak impacts on Jan. 24–25; the storm has effectively brought travel to a standstill along the western Hudson Bay coast.
According to Environment Canada, north-northwest winds are gusting as high as about 80–90 kilometres per hour. These powerful winds are lifting snow and creating blowing-snow and whiteout conditions that can reduce visibility to less than 100 metres. The accompanying wind chills are severe enough to cause frostbite on exposed skin within minutes.
The Hamlet of Arviat has cautioned that travel is unsafe on local roads, on the sea ice and at Arviat Airport (YEK/CYEK). Community leaders are focused on keeping essential services running; the Arviat Health Centre typically shifts to emergency-only service during storms of this magnitude and may do so again if conditions worsen. Local schools, including Levi Angmak Elementary and Qitiqliq Middle School, are expected to remain closed while the community remains in a “hold-in-place” posture.
Previous reporting in Nunatsiaq News notes that storms of this intensity have in the past caused multi-day power outages and frozen water pipes in Arviat. Officials are monitoring the local power grid and backup generators to avoid a repeat of those infrastructure failures. The Hamlet is responsible for snow clearing and says crews will clear roads once wind speeds drop to safe levels.
Safety organizations are also watching the coast, where hunters commonly travel on the ice. SmartICE provides data on ice thickness, but those measurements do not mitigate the risk of becoming disoriented in whiteout or near-zero visibility conditions. Residents are being urged to remain in their homes and to monitor local radio, the Hamlet’s official channels and community social media for updates on when it will be safe to travel again.
