Extreme wind chill holds tight grip on Manitoba

Many Manitobans woke up on Monday to yet another extreme wind chill warning.

The entire southern half of the province is shivering under wind chills of –40 C to –50 C, which means frostbite can happen in five to 10 minutes.

INFOGRAPHIC: Wind chill, illustrated

In Winnipeg, it was –33 C at 7 a.m., but felt more like –46 with the wind chill. In Brandon, the temperature was the same, but came with a wind chill of –51.

The cold meant anyone who needed a boost to get their car going had to wait a very long time for help from CAA Manitoba. The auto association said it would be a full 24 hours behind schedule.

And those planning to fly on Monday were urged to double-check with their airline to make sure their flights were on time — if they were even going at all.

​Several flights were delayed at Winnipeg's James A. Richardson International Airport.

United Airlines, which cancelled a number of flights last week, has once again cancelled flights between Winnipeg and Chicago.

The weather has also had an impact on garbage collection in Winnipeg. Crews were about a half-day behind picking up trash.

If your garbage hasn't been picked up yet, leave it out until crews can come by and get it, the city advises.

The extreme wind chills persisted throughout the day in the southernmost parts of the province, while there will be some easing of those frigid levels over regions closer to central Manitoba.

Winds are expected to become light overnight across southern Manitoba, reducing the wind chill levels for Tuesday.

Could it be. Could there be an end to deep freeze that has held Manitoba in its clutches for more than three weeks?

Environment Canada expects "a significant warming trend" later this week across southern Manitoba.

The long-range forecast calls for a daytime high of –11 C on Thursday, then –8 C on Friday and –6 C on Saturday.

The overnight lows for those days are expected to be a mild –12 C.

The normal temperatures for this time of year include a high of –13 C and an overnight low of –24 C.