Arctic air is bringing dangerously cold temperatures to the Prairies
The Prairies are in line for brutally cold temperatures, thanks to the passage of an Arctic front. This week’s weather will be quite the whiplash after western areas have been teased with unseasonable warmth in recent weeks.
The extreme turnaround will also send wind chill values plummeting into the -30s and -40s for many communities through early next week. Extreme cold warnings are in place for many regions.
Calgary’s forecast calls for a high temperature of -19°C on Monday with a nighttime low of -28°C, which are both a far cry from the seasonal high of 2°C and seasonal low of -9°C for a typical February 22nd.
The intense cold will last even longer over in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where temperatures have already fallen well below seasonal for much of the month.
Regina and Saskatoon can expect daytime highs in the minus double digits, often not climbing above -20°C for much of next week. Winnipeg may spend much of next week below -20°C. Nighttime lows will fall even colder, with readings in the -30s common across the two provinces.
“Extreme wind chill values of -40 to -45 will persist over the region through the latter part of this week. There will be slight moderation during the day, however extreme wind chills will return overnight for the next several nights,” Environment Canada and Climate Change (ECCC) states in their extreme cold warning for Winnipeg.
Wind chill values will make the cold downright dangerous to anyone who spends too long outdoors, with the risk for frostbite and hypothermia setting in after just a few minutes of exposure.
Stay tuned to The Weather Network for the latest updates on this frigid Prairies forecast.