Saskatchewanians across the province woke up to freezing temperatures on 1 December, with temperatures dropping to −20 °C.
Environment Canada meteorologist Terry Lang said residents shouldn’t be surprised, as these temperatures are typical for early December.
Lang said Saskatchewan residents can expect actual temperatures around -30 C on Saturday and over the next week, the wind chill will drop to around the -40 range. She points out that this is when the outdoors can be especially dangerous.
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He reminded people that layers are the most effective way to protect themselves from these types of temperatures.
“It’s really the air between the layers of clothing that keeps you warm,” Lange said. “So, dress in those layers, making sure exposed areas are covered — your hands, your face, your head — because the windchill can happen very quickly and … frostbite will set in.”
The colder the wind is on a given day, the more likely a person is to get frostbite.
The Canadian government has stated that the risk of frostbite increases exponentially when the wind chill crosses the -27 mark.
“The wind doesn’t change the temperature of the air,” Lang said. She explained that it simply has the power to quickly draw heat away from your body, making it feel colder outside than it actually is.
Saskatoon Emergency Management Organization coordinator, Brandon Bishop, said they would be collaborating with their 40 partners within the city to try to make sure people have somewhere warm.
Bishop said Saskatoon would enter a Level 2 watch for cold, meaning the weather would reach −30 °C for two days, but for no more than 10 days in total.
“There are always hot spots,” Bishop said. “We’re constantly working on emergency shelter beds, there’s always ongoing dialogue with our partners, how do we get everyone in a warm spot?”
Bishop said they partner with organizations such as the Saskatoon Police Service, the Saskatoon Fire Department and the Saskatoon Tribal Council to come up with effective cold weather strategies.
Saskatchewan residents are reminded to bundle up over the next few days and donate any winter clothing they don’t need to organizations in their city to help those in need this winter.
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