Steam rises as people look out on Lake Ontario in front of the skyline during extreme cold weather in Toronto on Saturday, February 13, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch
Republished February 13, 2016 - 5:27 PM
Original Publication Date February 13, 2016 - 8:40 AM
TORONTO - NBA players and fans alike woke up to a frigid all-star Saturday. The city was an ice-box.
Temperatures late morning in Toronto plummeted to minus-23 Celsius, which felt like minus-34 according to the Weather Network. Two hours later, it had "warmed" up to minus-21, which still felt like minus-27.
One visiting reporter from Atlanta called Toronto a wonderful city, but lamented it was too cold to enjoy it.
A photographer trying to find a weather shot had to call it quits when his camera stopped working in the cold.
The city of Toronto issued an extreme cold weather alert — just the seventh of the 2015-16 winter but the third during all-star festivities. In 2015-16, there were 39 days under an extreme cold weather alert.
Ironically the forecast calls for a balmy minus-one Monday, the day after the all-star game.
Commissioner Adam Silver reminded reporters at an evening briefing that Canadian James Naismith founded basketball to help keep people active on "these very cold winter days."
"So when I keep hearing about how cold it is, I keep reminding people that's true, but our events are inside, so no big deal and we're all enjoying it here," he added.
Asked if visiting family and friends are talking about the cold, Toronto Raptors star guard Kyle Lowry replied: "Everyone is."
"But it's still a great weekend," he added. "It can be cold, but everybody's still going to enjoy themselves and have fun."
Former Raptor Chris Bosh, who now calls Miami home, says he got used to the cold during his seven seasons in Toronto.
"Well not like this," he added hastily.
Toronto's DeMar DeRozan says he gets weather questions from fellow all-stars "every day."
"Nobody seem to believe me when I tell them this has been the worst. It's been a great winter until these last couple of days. Nobody seem to believe me though."
He acknowledged all-star weekend was the coldest he had experienced in Toronto.
"By far. By far. You've got to take the good with the bad though I guess. We've got this great thing happening with the all-star game here, we've just got to have the bad weather."
The forecast for Sunday evening is minus-14, which will feel like minus-21.
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With files from Canadian Press reporter Lori Ewing
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News from © The Canadian Press, 2016