Some services experiencing higher demand as cold persists across Alberta

All of Alberta is still under an extreme cold warning as a polar vortex moves eastward, resulting in frigid temperatures and harsh wind chills for the past several days.

The weather has led to record temperatures in some places, including Edmonton International Airport, according to Environment Canada.

The agency's weather station at the airport — located within Leduc County, just south of Edmonton — recorded a Sunday low temperature of –45.1 C, marking the third straight day of record-breaking daily cold temperatures, said Thomas Anderson of Environment Canada.

Meanwhile, Keg River, Alta., a hamlet about 545 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, recorded a Sunday low of –50.6 C, the lowest temperature in the country so far Sunday, Environment Canada data shows.

Sunday's low at the Calgary International Airport was –36.2 C.

The recent cold has strained Alberta's power supply. On Sunday afternoon, a grid alert was issued, asking Albertans to reduce consumption until 8 p.m.

ATCO Electric and Fortis Alberta have each reported a few unplanned outages Sunday, affecting dozens of customers, according to their respective outage maps.

As of 7 p.m. MT Sunday, ATCO was reporting nine unplanned outages, including one in Fort McMurray, Alta., and another in Galahad, Alta., a hamlet east of Red Deer.

Fortis Alberta was reporting an unplanned outage at 7 p.m. MT in Rimbey, Alta., northwest of Red Deer, and another in a rural part of Red Deer County.

CBC News contacted multiple emergency services throughout Alberta, such as Alberta Health Services and various police agencies and fire departments, inquiring about whether the extreme cold has resulted in greater calls for service.

The weather did not result in more calls for service for Alberta RCMP, a spokesperson said.

The Edmonton Fire Department, however, has had to respond to a higher volume of calls — mostly caused by water issues affecting alarms, a spokesperson said. The spokesperson was unable to provide exact figures at the time.

On Saturday night, there was a line of people waiting outside to access Bissell Centre, a non-profit agency that helps Edmontonians experiencing homelessness.

Gary St. Amand, CEO of Bissell Centre, said while the centre doesn't typically offer overnight services, during extreme temperatures it serves as a warming space and a connection point for other shelter spaces.

The facility had planned for 50 people to use the space overnight but had 137 people use the service Thursday night, 187 Friday, and 230 Saturday.

St. Amand said the centre is operating at maximum capacity.

"Everybody's quite aware that every minute out there is critical. And so we're doing everything we can to make that work as fast as we can."

The centre installed overhead outdoor heaters for those waiting to get inside. St. Amand said the non-profit has not denied anyone access to the space.