The cold weather has been brought by the Arctic air mass hovering over Saskatchewan.
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A meteorologist from Environment and Climate Change Canada says that Saskatchewan is currently experiencing extreme cold conditions.
Environment Canada has issued Extreme cold weather alertFor large parts of the province, the forecast calls for dangerous temperatures for the remainder of this week.
Meteorologist David Baggaley explained that this is a very serious situation.
Saskatchewan has been impacted by an extremely cold arctic mass. It brought with it temperatures below 40C and windchills of at least 50C. This is unusual, he stated.
Baggaley stated that this is an unusually cold event, even for the Prairies during winter.
Clear skies are generally expected with some clouds and light snow in the next few days.
Baggaley stated that it would be extremely, terribly cold.
He advised people to limit their time outside and that they should be prepared for extreme weather conditions.
According to the cold warning frostbite can occur within minutes on exposed skin. This is especially true if there is windchill.
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Environment Canada says that Uranium City in northern Canada reached -41C overnight, with windchill making it feel as -50C.
Monday’s high in Regina was at -26C, while in Saskatoon it was at -28C. The daily highs in the two largest cities in the province are expected to remain between -21C–30C for the remainder of this week. Environment Canada says that Regina’s historical daily high is -9.8C with a low of -20.7C. Saskatoon’s Dec. 27 average high temperature is -11C and its average daily low is -21.5C.
Temperatures won’t reach historical average daily highs until 2022 when Environment Canada forecasts for Regina for Jan. 2 at -12C and Saskatoon for a high for -15C.
The cold temperatures and arctic winds have also left other western provinces feeling cold.
Environment Canada has declared that all of Alberta, most of British Columbia, and parts of Manitoba, Ontario are still under extreme cold weather warnings.
It is estimated that the wind chill could range from -40C to -55C in Edmonton or Calgary.
According to Weather Network, Central Canada will have some of the world’s coldest air this week.
The Weather Network made a forecast that indicated that a relatively benign event, such as a vehicle breaking down, could quickly become a life-threatening problem when temperatures drop to this low.
Environment Canada has also stated that low temperatures and arctic outflow winds have been forecasted for most of British Columbia. The mercury will drop to -20C.
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Deadmen Valley, Northwest Territories, recorded a freezing temperature of -45C on Christmas Eve. Jakutsk in Russia was the coldest at -48C at 4:00 p.m. ET. ET.
Saskatchewan parts are also digging out after Sunday’s snowfall.
Monday morning saw approximately 12 centimetres snow fall. The City of Saskatoon declared it a snow event. According to the city, priority street grading should be completed within 72 hours. Clearing city-maintained walkways, sidewalks, and pathways should be completed within 48 hours.
The city’s Cold Weather Strategy has been declared active, and there are many warm-up spots available.
Monday saw Regina declare snow routes in effect. That means no on-street parking is allowed along identified routes for a 24-hour period. Crews will be able to plow the streets curb to curb.
Monday’s snow warning was issued in the Yorkton Melville region of southeast Saskatchewan. This was in addition to the forecast for bitterly cold temperatures. The weather agency advised drivers to be prepared for rapidly-changing and deteriorating travel conditions.
According to the Weather Network, widespread storms of 15-25 centimetres are possible in south Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This is when a quick burst or snow associated with another system passing by on Tuesday is added to the total. When there is blowing snow, it is possible to have reduced visibility. According to the Weather Network travel conditions can change quickly over short distances.
Canadian Press files
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Saskatchewan and Western Canada are under extreme cold warning
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Weather warning: Extremely cold blankets Saskatchewan for this week
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