WINNIPEG – Manitoba is facing wind chill and blowing snow warnings again on the last day of February 2014, and the deep cold is expected to last into March.
The coldest February since 1979 is ending with all of the province except the Churchill region under Environment Canada wind chill warnings.
“Another surge of bitterly cold Arctic air” will hit Manitoba Friday and Friday night, Environment Canada warned.
Dangerous wind chills of -45 to -50 are expected across southern Manitoba, the federal weather agency said. In northern Manitoba, the wind chill could drop as low as -55.
A blowing snow warning for the Red River Valley was issued at 10:30 a.m. Environment Canada warned the weather would cause poor visibility in the afternoon and evening in Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Headingly, Bunkild, Carman, Selkirk, Gimli, Stonewall, Woodlands, Eriksdale, Dugald, Beausejour, Grand Beach, Morden, Winkler, Altona, Emerson, Morris, Steinbach, St. Adolphe, Dominion City, Vita and Richer, Man.
RCMP issued an advisory at 8:15 a.m. warning of zero visibility on Highway 7 from Highway 101 to Stony Mountain, with drifting snow and drifted roads.
Extreme wind chill values will develop in the Red River Valley by Friday evening, with wind chills of -45 to -50 possible by Saturday morning. Bare skin can become frostbitten in less than five minutes at those values.
The extreme cold is expected to last into early next week, Environment Canada said.
The Winnipeg forecast for Friday predicts a high of -19 C with a wind chill of -37. The wind chill Friday night was forecast to drop to -50, followed by a Saturday night wind chill of -49. The high Saturday is forecast to be -26 C with a wind chill of -49.
February is expected to have a monthly mean temperature near -20. The monthly mean temperature in 1979 was -22.
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