Extreme cold lifting over Prairies – making way for milder temperatures

Feb 16, 2021 | 10:16 AM

A meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada says an extreme cold that settled into the Prairies more than a week ago is starting to lift.

Dan Kulak says the blast of Arctic air set new records across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where the wind made some places feel like minus 50 Celsius, including here in Grande Prairie.

One of the coldest temperatures recorded by the agency was in Uranium City, in Saskatchewan’s far north, that dropped to minus 48 before wind chill.

Kulak says in Fort Chipewyan, in Alberta’s far northeast, it got as cold as minus 47 without the wind.

He says some of the records smashed by the frigid air were more than 50 years old, making the recent cold snap a memorable one.

But before the Arctic air arrived, the Prairies had enjoyed about two months of mild winter weather.

That’s why Kulak says February felt like “opening the freezer door,” because the temperatures dipped down quickly within the span of only a couple of days.

Temperatures are set to continue to warm up, specifically in the Grande Prairie area, over the next few days. As of Tuesday, Environment Canada is calling for a high of zero on Friday, plus one on Saturday, Feb. 20, before reaching a high of plus seven on Sunday, Feb. 21.

(With files from Shaun Penner, EverythingGP)

by Canadian Press