Toronto Public Health has issued an extreme cold weather alert for the city of Toronto.

It’s the first such alert for the season. The forecast low tonight is -12 with wind chill values tonight are expected to drop to at least -17.

The alert triggers additional resources to make sure nobody is sleeping outside in the cold. Metro Hall on John Street will be opening as a warming centre to get any people with no place to sleep inside.

The first extreme cold weather alert last season came on Nov. 21. The earliest alert in recent records dating back to 2004-05 came for the 2017-18 season when an extreme cold weather alert was declared on Nov. 9.