After two weeks of unseasonably mild weather, get ready to hunker down, as things are about to change.
Christy Climenhaga with Environment Canada says right now there is a change in our weather pattern as a large ridge of high pressure is allowing Arctic air to flow south. She notes this will lock in cooler than normal conditions for much of the Prairies.
Climenhaga explains that the polar vortex is air that spins around the North Pole year-round. She notes when it starts to weaken or dislodge, it will track south, pushing cold air toward the United States.
"That's kind of what we're seeing, some dislodged Arctic air that is really bringing us that cooler weather," she notes.
Daytime highs for the next few days will then hover around -20 degrees, with overnight lows near -30 degrees.
"By Saturday night into Sunday morning, you could be close to -30," says Climenhaga.
And, she says do not expect a lot of recovery next week, particularly in the early part of the week.
"By next weekend that's when we start to see a little bit of wavering," she notes.
But, because that is still a week away, Climenhaga says her confidence is not very high for that to happen.
"So, when that warmup will come, we're still kind of having a look," she says. "At this point maybe next weekend."
Just how cold it might get could depend on the cloud cover. Climenhaga says clouds at night will act as an insulator, trapping in any heat and preventing the air from turning cold.
"If we do have those clear skies where you are, that's when you're looking at that risk of extremely, extremely cold temperatures," she warns.
Further to that, Climenhaga says if there is any wind on top of that, we could be dealing with extreme wind chills.
In southern Manitoba, an Extreme Cold Warning is issued when the temperature or wind chill is expected to reach -40 degrees for at least two hours.
But one thing that the cold weather should do is keep any storms at bay. Climenhaga says we do not usually experience stormy weather when we are under a ridge of high pressure. Rather, it is the low-pressure systems that spark storms.
"When we're dealing with extreme cold like this, you can get some snow but often you are dealing with that clear, cold, very stable but very chilly conditions," she explains.
Meanwhile, Climenhaga reminds the public of the threat of frostbite or hypothermia in extremely cold conditions. She says it will be very important to cover your skin when heading outdoors and to seek shelter if you are getting too cold.