People across southern Saskatchewan woke up to another frigidly cold day Friday with an extreme cold warning in effect.
Morning temperatures in the -30 C range, combined with northwesterly winds are creating extreme wind chills around -40 C. Long exposure to these weather conditions elevate the risk of frostbite and hypothermia. The warnings were lifted before 11 a.m.
According to Environment Canada meteorologist Mike Russo, the extreme cold temperatures should moderate by mid-day.
The prairies have been trapped under an uncomfortably cold air mass for most of the week.
“That stubborn polar vortex continues to pump arctic air across the prairies, cold air all the way from the North Pole being driven down well into central Canada and well into the States also, so until that polar vortex starts to move off, we’re just going to continue to see more of the same,” Russo said.
Russo said a weather disturbance crossing the northern part of the province will carry some warmer Pacific air with it, bringing back temperatures closer to normal for February.
He said Saskatoon and Regina are expected to get up to around -11 C on Saturday offering a weekend reprieve from the extreme cold.