Manitoba will be celebrating the new year with a blanket made of dangerously cold Arctic air.
Environment Canada issued extreme cold warnings early this morning for most of the province, including Winnipeg, Brandon and Gimli.
According to the weather agency, cold temperatures are expected today and into Saturday with wind chill values between 40 and 50 in much of southern Manitoba. Wind chills could be moderated today, but it is possible for some areas to see them persist through the end of the year.
This extreme cold will continue to affect most of southern Manitoba through New Year’s Day. There will be a slight increase in temperatures on Sunday.
The cold air mass in northern Manitoba is dropping wind chill values to near -45 this morning. This is according to the weather agency.
Frostbite is dangerous and can happen in minutes. Make sure you are warm and covered if you go outside.
Environment Canada reminds people that cold-related symptoms include shortness of breath and chest pain, muscle pain and weakness and numbing in fingers and toes.