Northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, beware - it's going to get really flippin' cold tomorrow and this coming week.
As of Saturday afternoon, the area is now under an extreme cold warning, with windchills dipping down into the minus-50s for much of next week. Environment Canada proclaimed the warning around 3:30 p.m. local time Saturday.
The culprit, as per the Environment Canada warning, is "a cold Arctic airmass". That system will move into northern Manitoba, starting late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, and is likely to stay for several days, with occasional relief during daylight but very cold conditions still expected.
"A cold, arctic airmass will move over northern Manitoba overnight and remain over the area for several days, resulting in a multi-day episode of extreme wind chills," reads the warning.
"Extreme wind chill values of minus-45 to minus-55 will persist over the region through to the middle of next week. There will be slight moderation during the day, but extreme wind chills will return overnight for the next several nights."
Similar warnings are in effect throughout northern Saskatchewan, Manitoba and parts of northwestern Ontario. The cold conditions are expected to affect an area stretching from far northwestern Saskatchewan, swinging down across northern Saskatchewan and covering Flin Flon, Creighton, Denare Beach, Pelican Narrows and Sandy Bay, as well as the entirety of the Hanson Lake Road (Highway 106).
"Extreme cold puts everyone at risk. Watch for cold-related symptoms - shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain and weakness, numbness and colour change in fingers and toes," reads the Environment Canada warning for the northern Saskatchewan area covering Cumberland House and communities along the Hanson Lake Road and Highway 135.
"Dress warmly. Dress in layers that you can remove if you get too warm. The outer layer should be wind resistant."
