Frigid cold and extreme wind chills being felt across much of Manitoba
Manitobans are going to want to bundle up on Monday morning as much of the province is experiencing freezing temperatures.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), has issued extreme cold warnings for many Manitoba communities in both the north and south, including Brandon, Winnipeg and Thompson.
According to ECCC, temperatures in the -30s combined with 10 to 20 km/h winds are bringing wind chill values between -40 and -50.
In the warnings for southern Manitoba, the weather agency says that the wind chills will moderate slightly during the day on Monday. It adds that some regions may be on the cusp of the extreme cold criteria on Monday night, with some communities seeing slightly warmer temperatures. However, by Tuesday night, the temperatures will dip back into the extreme cold range for southern Manitoba.
“We’ll have some sort of moderation during the day and we’ll probably pop out of that -40 range, which is what triggers the extreme cold,” said ECCC meteorologist Terri Lang.
“But again at night it settles back in.”
Lang added it looks like a system will ripple through Wednesday night into Thursday, with the cloud warming up temperatures.
“It kind of acts like a little blanket. We may get a dusting of snow with that, a centimetre or two, and then back into the cold,” she said
Lang noted that it looks like Friday will be our coldest day, but then Manitoba is expected to return to more seasonal temperatures.
ECCC is warning Manitobans that everyone is at risk from the extreme cold. Residents are advised to watch out for cold-related symptoms, including shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain and weakness, and numbness and colour change in your fingers and toes.
Manitobans are advised to cover up, as frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin, and to keep your pets safe.
ARE WE IN A POLAR VORTEX?
For Manitobans who have heard we are in a polar vortex right now Lang said this is untrue.
She explained the polar vortex is something that exists in the upper atmosphere.
“It’s always there. It’s always around the Poles, there’s one in the South Pole and one in the North Pole,” she said.
“It swirls around. It’s a very cold air mass. It deepens in the winter, because there’s no sunshine to warm up the air.”
Lang said what Manitoba is actually seeing is really deep and heavy Arctic air that is common for this time of year. She added that this air has been sitting in the Arctic with no sunshine.
“When it moves down across the Prairies, it really does make it very cold,” she said.
Lang said the other compounding factor is the wind chill. She noted this doesn’t impact the temperature, but is an index to explain how fast your body will lose heat when the wind chill is high.
“It’s a ‘feels like’ equivalent. So people should use it that way,” Lang said.
“The higher the wind chill, the faster your bodies going to lose heat and the more you have to get yourself prepared for that cold if you’re venturing outside.”
CAA CALLS
Amid the freezing temperatures this weekend, CAA Manitoba saw more call for service than usual.
On Friday, the association received 398 calls, on Saturday it got 483 calls for service, and on Sunday it received 608 calls. On a normal day, it gets about 350 calls.
According to a spokesperson, the majority of the calls this weekend were battery-related.
CAA expects to get even more calls starting on Monday as people head to work. Manitobans who park outside are reminded to plug in their vehicles, and to be patient with CAA.
- With files from CTV’s Nicole Dube.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit natural gas levies to the federal government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer filled with relief and grief following acquittal in death of Toronto police officer
'We hoped for this day, but we were scared that it would not never ever come because it took so long.' That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
North Bay doctor accused of assaulting patient, threatening another
A North Bay doctor is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a patient with a weapon and threatening another person at the hospital, police say.