Environment Canada is forecasting temperatures and wind chills that could result in extreme cold warnings this weekend. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Josh Ryan

Cold snap coming

More cold days ahead in Saskatchewan

Feb 3, 2021 | 3:00 PM

Saskatchewan will have to bundle up again this weekend.

Environment Canada is forecasting a series of very cold temperatures across the Prairies, with a strong likelihood of wind chills at -40 Celsius or colder. Daily highs are expected to near or surpass -30 C from Friday to Tuesday.

Meteorologist Terri Lang told battlefordsNOW there isn’t consensus yet on how long this cold snap will last, as not all forecasts agree when this crop of cold air will move out.

“It’s sort of eroding as warmer air moves in,” she said. “Not good agreement on that quite yet, but we should all get used to the fact that it’s going to get cold for a few days.”

Prince Albert and Meadow Lake’s cold temperatures are predicted to peak overnight on Saturday, with a low of -35 C, while the Battlefords are forecast to reach -34 C. Sunday is expected to have plenty of sunlight and daily highs of at least -27 C. Lang said she wouldn’t be surprised to see several extreme cold warnings, as all that’s required for that alert is temperatures or wind chills that reach -40 C or lower.

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“It doesn’t take much to get a wind-chill of -40 C, when temperatures are already in the -30’s,” she said.

This wave of cold temperatures is expected to hit throughout western and central Canada. Lang said there’s a strong possibility that further dips into these temperatures occur in late February and early March.

“It’s been a pretty mild winter so far and we find that with these types of patterns, they’re a bit slow to get going,” Lang said. “So, February is often the coldest month.”

To prepare for the weekend, Lang said residents should follow the same guidelines provided a few weeks ago. While the past month has resulted in people slowly becoming acclimatized to colder weather, bundling up before heading out the door will still remain critical.

“When we get into -40 C temperatures and wind chills, frostbite can occur very rapidly,” Lang said. “Dress appropriately and don’t spend time outdoors if you don’t have to.”

She also recommended motorists have maintenance done on their vehicles and pack an emergency kit before traveling.

“You don’t want to get stuck without it,” she said. “All of those precautions still apply.”

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports