Southern, central Saskatchewan once again under extreme cold warnings

After a brief respite, Environment Canada has once again placed southern Saskatchewan under extreme cold warnings.

“Even though the temperatures have increased a little bit with the cloud and snow, we’re expecting the winds to really pick up (Friday) evening — northwesterly 40 (kilometres per hour) gusting to 60 — so that’s really going to drive the windchills up,” meteorologist Terri Lang said Friday afternoon.

Lang said windchills will get into the -40 C range, which is when Environment Canada issues extreme cold warnings.

“We will see the snow move off (Saturday), but in behind there’s another ridge of Arctic high pressure that’s building in,” she said. “Things may temporarily get a little bit milder once the winds kind of taper off (Saturday), but then we’re going to be into that cold again.”

As a result, Lang expects the warnings to remain in place during the weekend before a gradual warming trend begins Monday.

Saskatoon, Regina, the Battlefords, Estevan, Shaunavon and Swift Current were all included in the warning issued Friday.

There were three straight days of extreme cold warnings in the province before they were lifted Thursday.

Lang said the ridge of low pressure that caused those frigid temperatures moved into Manitoba, but another has followed it into Saskatchewan.

“It’s not as big and it’s not as deep and it won’t cover as much real estate as that last one did; we saw the Arctic air even down into Vancouver and Victoria,” Lang said. “That was a really big one and that’s why it was so cold for so long.

“This one will just be more of a temporary one for the weekend and then we’re out of the woods for a while.”

Environment Canada says the extreme cold puts everyone at risk. Cold-related symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain and weakness, numbness and colour change in fingers and toes.

Extreme cold warnings are issued when very cold temperatures or windchill creates an elevated risk to health such as frostbite and hypothermia.

Lang said southern Saskatchewan won’t see much accumulation of snow this weekend, but the wind will blow around whatever does fall.

“It’s going to look a lot worse than what’s actually falling, so people had better pay heed to that,” she said. “It’s going to make driving a little tricky, especially out in the country, so check that Highway Hotline before heading out.”