BE SURE TO BUNDLE UP

Deep freeze will linger into weekend

The recent cold snap in Saskatchewan is expected to hang on a few more days, followed by slightly warmer temperatures on Sunday.

Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang said this is about the time of year when Saskatchewan hits “the dead of winter,” so no one should be surprised about the cold, although with the abundance of mild days recently she admits it can be a shocking transition.

“If you plot out 30-year normal temperatures through the year, this is about the time of year when we reach the bottom of that graph,” Lang said. “Then things start warming up, climatologically speaking.”

Extreme cold warnings were in place across all of northern Saskatchewan on Thursday, and daytime wind chill temperatures ranged between -25 C and -30 C in Saskatoon and Regina leading into the weekend. Lang said we should see some respite beginning Sunday as temperatures warm up moderately to the seasonal average high of -10 C.

In Saskatoon, the cold weather has brought cancellations to supervised skating times at some outdoor public rinks. The fire department wants people to look out for each other, sharing a list of warm-up locations throughout the city, including all public libraries and a list of organizations around the downtown core.

Lang suggests anyone headed outside, regardless of the length of time, should dress in layers and make sure any exposed skin is covered to avoid the risk of frostbite.

As temperatures start to warm up on Sunday, Lang said the province could be in for three to five centimetres of snow though she noted the majority of snow doesn’t start falling until early spring.

MATT SMITH Cold winter weather has enveloped much of Saskatchewan this week, as evidenced by the chilly South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon. Temperatures will remain on the colder side until Sunday, when they should recover to near seasonal levels, a meteorologist from Environment Canada predicts.