Extreme cold to last at least another week in Sask.: Environment Canada

The extreme cold in Saskatchewan isn’t going away any time soon.

On Sunday, Environment Canada issued an extreme cold warning for most of Saskatchewan, including the province’s largest cities.

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Temperatures on Monday morning for Regina and Saskatoon dipped well into the -30 C range, and the wind chill had it feeling colder than -40 C.

Chris Stammers, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the reason why it’s been so cold in Saskatchewan is because of a high-pressure system that’s sitting over the province and most of western Canada.

“We have an arctic ridge of high pressure that extends from basically the Yukon southeastward through Alberta and through Saskatchewan,” Stammers said. “Nothing has really changed, so it’s just allowing cold arctic air to flood southward with little change.”

With that system sitting comfortably over most of Saskatchewan, Stammers said it could be another week to 10 days before we see temperatures return to seasonal norms.

“It’s looking like a pretty cold stretch here, and we’re not really seeing any signals for kind of a pattern change above normal for the foreseeable future,” Stammers explained.

Although it will be cold for at least the next week, Stammers said the province could see slightly warmer temperatures during the day.

“Our daytime highs will be moderating – certainly into the -20 C mark, or even -18 C – so we will get a little bit of relief during the day,” he said.

During the extreme cold stretch, Environment Canada advised anyone going outside to dress in layers and cover up to avoid frostbite.

The latest on the weather alerts can be found on Environment Canada’s website.