MarketsFarm — While the Prairies have so far this month experienced rather non-January-like temperatures, a cold front coming south from the Arctic will soon descend on the region, according to Scott Kehler, president and chief scientist of Weatherlogics in Winnipeg.
“What we are seeing is a big change in the weather pattern. For most of January we’ve had some really warm temperatures,” Kehler said, noting this has been due to Pacific air flowing across the region.
“A lot of cold air that was previously contained in the Arctic is going to come south and bring us a prolonged period of extreme cold,” he continued, expecting the system to reach the Prairies late in the week or during the weekend, then sticking around for at least two weeks.
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Kehler forecast highs in the upper-minus-teens to the low -20s. C The lows are to push down into the high -20s and low -30s C.
“The -30s is probably going to happen,” he said with temperatures in the -40s very unlikely. However, he warned the windchills could reach that cold, given the expected windspeeds accompanying this Arctic system could be rather brisk.
“Once the Arctic air becomes more entrenched, we switch to a high-pressure system,” Kehler explained, noting windspeeds would then decrease. “But when you get things that cold, it doesn’t take much wind to drag windchills into the -40s.”
He said temperatures that cold are rather uncommon on the Prairies, depending where one is. It’s been 15 years since Winnipeg had temperatures that frigid.
— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.
