Sask. trapped under extreme cold warnings

With extreme cold warnings covering all of Saskatchewan Thursday, it could be another day to hibernate indoors.

Another blast of arctic air is keeping the province trapped in the deep freeze and holding extreme wind chills values down to -40 C.

David Baggaley is a meteorologist with Environment Canada. He told 650 CKOM Thursday will actually be the “moderately cold” day in comparison to the rest of the week. He said the wind chills will likely ease off through the afternoon.

Unfortunately that’s as much of a reprieve as we are likely to get.

“The really, really bitter cold air is coming in Friday. We’re looking at highs for Friday of -29 C and extreme wind chills of -44 C (or) -45 C pretty much for the entire day,” Baggaley said.

You may want to plan for more indoor activities for the final days of the year because the extreme cold and wind chills are expected to last all day Saturday and Sunday.

“We’re not actually in the core of the coldest air as we speak, but the really cold air is coming down Friday and it just sits across southern Saskatchewan through the weekend,” Baggaley said.

These conditions are considered to be dangerously cold with the risk of frostbite on exposed skin happening in minutes and the potential for hypothermia for anyone who stays outside for a prolonged period of time.

Environment Canada advises anyone who needs to be outdoors to take extra precautions to stay warm.