A cold snap is finally going to hit Saskatchewan after an unusually warm December, according to Global News’ meteorologist.
“We had the warmest winter ever recorded for Saskatoon and Regina,” Peter Quinlan said. “Now we are looking at our biggest cold snap of the season so far.”
Late November and December saw temperatures hovering around the minus 10-degree Celsius range and a brown Christmas across most of the province, apart from the southern-most regions.
It’s not going to last, however.
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“The polar vortex — a piece of Arctic air that usually sits over the North Pole — is slumping south this week and it is bringing in frigid conditions,” Quinlan said.
According to Quinlan, areas of Saskatchewan can expect daytime highs dropping into the minus 30s.
“Early morning windchills can hit minus-45 to minus-55 and it’s likely going to come with some snow Monday into Tuesday.”
While the new year is sending the province into a polar plunge, the winter season as a whole is still likely to go down as above seasonal due to abnormally warm temperatures December.
Quinlan said the outlook is still up in the air when it comes to February, but for now, be prepared to bundle up.
“We need to pull out the parka, the mitts, even the balaclava, earmuffs, snow pants, snow boots. When we get into these extreme cold windchills, your skin can freeze in a matter of minutes — we are talking two to five minutes with some of the values we are expecting this week.”