Prairies: Brief break from bitter cold before another plunge
Bitter cold is coming back for the Prairies
Bitter wind chills have returned to parts of the Prairies, and while extreme cold warnings dropped through Tuesday morning, brisk temperatures persist through mid-week, with biting cold set to return into the weekend.
High pressure is once again surging southward from the Arctic, and that means temperatures staying well below zero, and nasty wind chills, especially overnight and through the early morning hours.
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WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
Another quick shot of upslope snow possible for southern foothills Thursday pm/early Friday
Cold air surges back in for late week/weekend
Highs in minus 20s, wind chills in minus 30s into early next week
WATCH BELOW: YET ANOTHER ARCTIC BLAST
BACK TO WINTER'S GRIP
As of February 27th, Edmonton is working on a 27-day-long stretch of days below the freezing mark, and it will not only close the month without seeing a day in February above zero, the streak is likely to continue -- a streak that's likely to continue for at least the next week.
Up in Thompson, Manitoba, residents have earned the right to scoff at that streak, however. The city hasn't seen a temperature above freezing since November, and it may be late March before the thermometer creeps into positive territory.
While Tuesday and Wednesday have seen the sharpest of the cold abate somewhat across the region, another surge of Arctic air is on the doorstep to take us into the weekend.
SHOT OF SNOW FOR DRY SOUTHERN ALBERTA
Extreme southern Alberta got a small shot of snow into Tuesday morning, and another looms for Thursday night and early Friday. This should, in the long run, be welcome news for farmers.
With spring right around the corner, concerns are rising regarding drought conditions across the Prairies, including for southern Alberta, so every extra snow event may help at this point.
Image courtesy Government of Canada
The January Drought Assessment from Agriculture Canada, pictured above, showed severe drought developing in southwestern Alberta through the end of January, as well as persistent moderate to severe drought in southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba.