The cold weather returns with a vengeance this week (File photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Cam Lee

Cold snap is here

A snowy weekend gives way to frigid temperatures

Jan 13, 2020 | 11:00 AM

We’ve had the snow, and now the cold weather is here to stay for the next week.

Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Terri Lang told northeastNOW that it is difficult for them to calculate how much snow actually fell in the northeast over the weekend.

“Our auto stations, we have one in Melfort and one in Nipawin, and they’re not very good at infering [snowfall amounts], especially when there’s wind because it’s just a laser that’s pointed down,” Lang said.

The stations reported 5 cm of snow for Melfort, and 4 cm for Nipawin. However, a weather watcher from the Codette area reported 11.4 cm of snow over the two day period.

The snow has largely moved on and now the mercury has dropped. Temperatures are expected to be well below normal for this time of year over the next seven days.

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Lang said a big ridge of high pressure is dominating an area from Yukon down through Saskatchewan.

“We’re not in the coldest of it quite yet, we’ll probably see that by [the] middle of the week,” she explained. “We are looking at temperatures approaching the -40 C mark [overnights], and of course with that ee have chances with any kind of wind whatsoever then we’ll get the higher windchills.”

Extreme cold warnings will likely be issues on-and-off throughout the week as the temperatures drop.

The normal daytime high this time of year is -14 C, with the average low at -25 C. The Northeast isn’t forecast to reach these normal low temperatures for much of this week.

There will be some light snow moving through the region this week, including today and Thursday.

It will warm up across the region, but Lang said that won’t happen until after the weekend.

“Closer to seasonal values it looks like probably by Tuesday [and] Wednesday,” she said.

Lang said people need to take precautions in the cold conditions.

“Dressing properly, dressing in layers, covering extremities, and not spending a lot of time outdoors if they don’t have to,” Lang said. “If you do have to travel, make sure you have an emergency kit in your car.”

She also urged people to check the Highway Hotline before they travel.

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cam.lee@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @camlee1974