Motorists are advised to pack an emergency kit and check the Highway Hotline before travelling. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

extreme weather

Environment Canada forecasting -48 C wind chill in La Ronge overnight

Dec 6, 2022 | 5:18 PM

An extreme cold warning remains in place for La Ronge as the temperature is expected to fall to -37 Celsius overnight but feel like -48 C with the wind chill.

“We do have a ridge of high pressure that has kind of parked itself over the province and with that comes the really, really cold air and also the really high wind chill values,” Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist Terri Lang said.

“Frostbite can occur in minutes on exposed skin and hypothermia can set in quite quickly when the temperatures are this low and the wind chill is this high.”

The extreme cold warning is also in effect for Montreal Lake, Pinehouse Lake, the Prince Albert National Park and the Candle Lake, Lac La Ronge and Narrow Hills Provincial Parks.

Lang explained the ridge of high pressure is on its way out of the province, but cold weather will persist for a couple more days before becoming more seasonal Thursday night and into Friday. The highs on Wednesday and Thursday are -24 C and -19 C, respectively, with lows of -31 C and -18 C without wind chill values.

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“For this time of year, we can expect the highs to get into around the -11 C range and overnight lows around -20 C,” she said. “Right now, we have colder temperatures but by the weekend, we should be getting temperatures a little closer to average.”

Friday is forecasted to be cloudy and reach a high of -9 C with a chance of flurries overnight and a low of -16 C. Environment Canada is calling for a chance of snow throughout the weekend.

With the cold weather for the next two days, however, Lang advises motorists to check the Highway Hotline before travelling, to dress warmly and have an emergency kit available.

“When temperatures are this cold and wind chills are this high, it’s really, really dangerous if your car were to breakdown and you were on the side of the road,” she said. “You have to make sure you have that emergency kit in your car.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno