SASKATCHEWAN — Saskatchewan residents should be prepared for several days of extreme cold and then below-average temperatures once the worst of the frigid conditions pass.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued an extreme cold warning for much of the province. The warning states a colder and windier Arctic air mass is moving into Saskatchewan, bringing falling temperatures and wind chill values into the -40 C to -45 C range.
Danielle Desjardins, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, told SaskToday that the extreme cold is expected to linger throughout the weekend, but there will be a slight improvement by Sunday afternoon and overnight into Monday.
“By Monday, this cold snap will be over,” she said, noting this is the most significant cold snap for Saskatchewan so far this winter.
The warning is an orange level, using the colour-coding system introduced by Environment Canada last year. Orange is the second-highest level. Yellow, which is a step below orange, can be issued for extreme cold warnings as well, but Desjardins said this cold snap met the criteria for orange.
“Orange has been issued because there’s not going to be a whole lot of reprieve during the daytime hours. It’s an extensive area of cold, and it is lasting over three days,” she said. “With daytime highs in the mid -20s, at -26 or -27, combined with the light winds in the forecast, up to 15 kilometres per hour, that’s still going to keep wind chill values into the -40s, even during the daytime.”
Sometimes temperatures are significantly worse at night and then improve during the day.
A stretch from Saskatoon to Estevan, including Regina, is expected to experience the coldest temperatures, she said, although it will only be a couple of degrees colder than elsewhere in the province.
“It’s going to be cold with relatively light winds, but any little gust of wind is going to push those wind chill values into the -40s, even pushing -50s, through the weekend,” she said. “No snow is expected through the weekend. Just cold.”
Desjardins recommends that people limit time outdoors to reduce the risk of frostbite, windburn and hypothermia, and that they dress in layers.
“If you can limit your outdoor activity and take breaks from the cold, that will help eliminate the potential for adverse health effects from the cold,” Desjardins said.
Travellers should have an emergency kit handy in case a vehicle breaks down, she said, as well as a way to reach someone for help.
“Make sure you take care of your animals as well. If it’s too cold for us, it’s too cold for them as well, so keep your animals indoors as well.”
While she doesn’t expect overnight low records to be set in Saskatoon or Regina, since the marks for those cities are into the -40s C, she noted the record for Estevan is -39.4 C for Jan. 24, meaning the Energy City could see a new benchmark coming.
Once the extreme cold ends, Desjardins expects temperatures to be about five degrees below normal, with that trend continuing through next Friday.
The extreme cold warning was issued Jan. 21 and has grown to include the cities of Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw, the district of Lakeland, and communities within 277 rural municipalities.
