As a bone-chilling cold snap settles in across much of central Canada, residents in the Prairies are braving one of the coldest winters ever.
Regina set a new 130-year record for March 1st with temperatures dipping down to -36 C, with the wind chill making it feel more like -53 C.
Meanwhile, in Winnipeg morning temperatures plummeted to -37 C, feeling more like -50 C with the wind chill.
Environment Canada issued several extreme wind chill warnings for parts of Canada on Saturday, spanning from the Western Prairies to north western Ontario.
The weather agency notes that a high pressure system travelling across the Prairies is bringing a surge of bitterly cold Arctic air to most of central Canada.
In winter’s frigid grip, some Winnipeg residents say they are fed up with what feels like a never-ending deep freeze.
“It’s too frickin’ cold, that’s the problem,” said one Winnipegger.
Jeremy Penner, a local resident, told CTV Winnipeg that the cold weather is testing everyone’s patience.
"I think lots of people have had enough,” he said.
“It's not really funny anymore. It's March 1st. Didn't get a chance to go away this year, but maybe next year. I won't make the same mistake next year."
As temperatures continue to plunge, shelters in Winnipeg are struggling to accommodate the influx of people seeking refuge from the bitter cold.
Experts say that with extreme wind chills, exposed skin can freeze in as little as five minutes.
Floyd Perras, executive director of Winnipeg’s Siloam Mission shelter, says while all 110 beds at his location have already been filled, the shelter will be providing individuals with warm winter clothes.
“We will be vigilant in making sure everybody gets in,” Perras told CTV Winnipeg. “We certainly have clothing and supplies for people, which is good.”
Despite the frosty wind chill, this is not the coldest it has ever been on the first day of March in Winnipeg. Back in 1962, the coldest temperature recorded in the area was -37.8 C, feeling more like -51 C with the wind chill.
Dan Fulton, meteorologist from Environment Canada, says the cause of this unusually bitter weather is a shift in the jet stream.
“Normally the jet stream goes from west to east; this year it’s waving quite a bit, taking a few north and south legs,” he told CTV News Channel.
“So we have been getting just a constant stream of air straight out of the Arctic for three months now, interrupted briefly here and there by little glimpses of warmth,”
Fulton notes that the seasonal norm for Winnipeg this time of year is around -5 C, meaning that current temperatures are hovering close to -20 C below normal.
Environment Canada says the cold snap is expected to persist into early next week before warmer temperatures begin to settle in by Thursday.
