Deep freeze expected to last until 2022

The brutally cold conditions are expected to last until next year.

That’s according to Environment Canada meteorologist Justin Shaer, who says people throughout the province will have to wait a while to see any sort of reprieve from the cold.

“I don’t usually get to say this, but it looks like it should warm up next year,” Shaer said with a chuckle Tuesday morning. “We’re not going to see any significant change in the temperatures until the new year rings in.

“We’re looking at highs in the very low -20s throughout most of the week into Saturday and the overnight lows well into the -30s … We’re expecting at least four more days of bitterly cold weather out there.”

Shaer said the wind chill in Swift Current was -50 C on Tuesday morning. He noted the low in the Regina area Tuesday night would approach -40 C — and that was before the wind was factored in.

Saskatchewan hasn’t been alone under this Arctic air mass. Alberta and parts of western Manitoba have felt the wrath of this weather system’s cold grip as well.

As of Tuesday morning, most of the province was blanketed with extreme cold warnings with wind chills of -35 to -50 C expected in places.

The weather office is encouraging people to be cautious about spending time outdoors.

“Frostbite can come on very quickly with these temperatures and the wind chill values we’re seeing,” Shaer said. “It’s important to keep up to date on the weather that’s happening and read any statements as far as what you can do to minimize the risk.”

Once Saskatchewan crawls through this frigid blast of cold air, more normal temperatures are expected. Shaer said the usual highs for this time of year are around -11 C, and the province will be getting closer to that next week.

“It will still be cold when this system breaks, just not the extreme cold as what we’re been seeing,” he said.