(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)
Hopefully, your Christmas wishlist included a parka, because you’ll need one.
Winnipeg and southern Manitoba are about to be hit with a blast of Arctic air, which Environment Canada says is set to move into the Prairies this weekend.
The bitterly cold conditions are part of a polar vortex system arriving from Siberia. Fittingly, the first official day of winter was Thursday.
“Friday will bring one last day of relatively mild weather with daytime highs in the -10 to -16C range across much of Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba,” a special weather statement said.
However, by Christmas Eve on Sunday, daytime highs will be around -20C across much of the southern portion of the province, with highs colder than -30C across the northern Prairies.
The cold weather will linger into next week, with overnight lows near or colder than -30C and daytime highs colder than -20C are expected.
According to historical weather data, Winnipeg could see its coldest Christmas on record since 1996.
Wind chill values are said to be between -35 to -40 in the south and -40 to -50 in the northern Prairies.
To prevent your extremities from experiencing a truly “blue Christmas,” read these weather safety tips.
