Environment Canada warns of more extreme cold for much of Manitoba

The weather agency says cold temperatures with wind chill values between -40 and -50 are expected throughout much of southern Manitoba today and into Saturday. There could be some moderation of wind chills today, but some areas could see that persist throughout the final day of the year.

Already this morning, wind chill values reached -50 in Roblin and -51 in Swan River, said Environment Canada meteorologist Kyle McAulay.

“I think we’re kind of paying the price for that milder weather we had earlier on this winter, early fall. We have some pretty clear skies, an Arctic ridge to our west that’s building in,” he said.

This extreme cold is expected to remain over most of southern Manitoba on New Year’s Day, with a slight warm up in temperatures coming Sunday.

In parts of northern Manitoba, the cold air mass is dropping wind chill values to nearly -45 this morning. This is expected to moderate somewhat throughout the day, the weather agency says.

McAulay says Manitobans should prepare for more frigid weather in the early part of next year.

“Our long-term models look like after the weekend and getting into the middle of next week this will likely be coming back again, and there’s a good chance there will be some more extreme cold warnings issued,” he said.

Exposure to frostbite within minutes is a hazard, so remember to bundle up and dress warm if you venture outside.

“If you have to go outside really minimize the amount of time you have to spend outside and really cover up in as much layers as possible, and cover up all bare skin as best you can,” McAulay said.

Environment Canada also reminds people to watch for cold-related symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain and weakness, numbing and colour change in fingers and toes.