Deep freeze continues for Saskatchewan and Manitoba

Residents of the prairies are bundling up and layering on the clothes as another bitter blast of cold pushes down from the Arctic, driving wind chills down to the point where skin can freeze in as little as five minutes.

Temperatures had already dropped into the -30s Celsius across southern parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba as of Tuesday night. However, this Arctic airmass is so cold that the light breezes accompanying it produced wind chills down around -40 or lower overnight. Of all the communities suffering this Arctic chill, it was apparently the larger cities that saw the worse of it, with Saskatoon seeing a -43 wind chill just after midnight, and Regina getting down to -45.

Due to the continued risk of frost bite and hypothermia in this biting cold, Environment Canada wind chill warnings are in effect for an area bordered by Melfort, Regina and Weyburn in the west and Winnipeg and Steinbach in the east.

Wind chill values of -40 to -45 are expected throughout the morning. With these extreme conditions exposed skin can freeze in 5 to 10 minutes time, and there's a risk of hypothermia for anyone who is outside for long periods of time. Anyone venturing outside should dress in layers, be sure to wear insulated gloves and boots, and above all, stay dry, as wet clothing will provide no protection whatsoever and may actually hasten the onset of frost bite or hypothermia.

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According to forecasters, these extreme wind chills are expected to persist until the afternoon. Temperatures should warm up enough by midday for warnings to be dropped, but cold, breezy conditions for tonight across Manitoba could keep wind-chill values in the -30 or lower.

(Photo courtesy: The Canadian Press)

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