Extreme cold continues across Saskatchewan, but relief in sight
ECCC meteorologist says weather expected to start warming up on Tuesday
The extremely cold weather gripping Saskatchewan is continuing to cause inconveniences across the province, but there is some good news.
Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Kyle McAuley says warmer weather is on the way for Saskatchewan. He expects some areas in southern parts of the province to have extreme cold weather warnings removed on Tuesday morning.
"I'm sure more and more regions will come out of the extreme cold warnings by like Thursday or Friday and into the weekend," McCauley said. "The extreme cold warning should be all over by then, and with single digit [negative] temperatures coming up for the weekend.
For now, the extreme cold weather warnings are still in place for most of Saskatchewan as wind chills ranging from –40 to –50 are still in the forecast on Monday.
McAuley said it's important to continue to take precautions when going outside during these warnings.
"If you're going out at all, you definitely want to cover up any bare skin and dress in many layers," McAuley said. " If you're going for a drive, let someone know where you're going just in case you do get stranded, especially if you're in a rural area. Bring extra blankets and some supplies like food with you just in case."
Pipes bursting
The City of Regina is feeling the effects of the extreme weather on Monday. City hall is closed for the day due to a pipe bursting from the frigid temperatures.
In Saskatoon, two sprinkler lines burst Monday at St. Paul's Hospital, causing temporary flooding in the main entrance and basement.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said in a news release that there is no impact to the emergency department, patient care areas or drinking water access.
"SHA maintenance staff have been actively working to clean the flooded areas and fix the impacted sprinkler lines," the health authority said.
"Navigation through the facility may be impacted as SHA maintenance staff work to remediate affected areas."
Cold weather affecting travel
The Regina International Airport is seeing the effects of the cold weather.
Justin Reves, director of revenue development, public relations and customer experience for the Regina Airport Authority, said many flights coming in and out of Regina were cancelled or delayed over the weekend.
"We've definitely seen an improvement in the number of flights that are going out today," Reves said on Monday. "There's still some ongoing operational challenges the airlines are reporting, so not every flight is going out or on time, but certainly seeing a lot more movement today than we were versus a couple of days ago."
He said he didn't know how long the delays will persist.
"I definitely understand that's frustrating," Reves said.
"If you're trying to escape the cold, and you haven't been able to, and you're stuck here and you're waiting another couple of days, or perhaps you're somewhere else waiting to get home and you're wondering when you're going to get home, it's definitely a challenge."
Reves said passengers or people picking passengers up should check with the airlines directly to get the most-up-to date information on flights.
The Saskatoon International Airport also had some flights cancelled or delayed due to cold over the weekend.
"Planes can still fly in very cold weather and and people can still operate, [but] the point at which it's kind of become more critical is around that –45, –50 wind chill," said CJ Dushinski, vice-president of business development and service quality for the Saskatoon Airport Authority.
"It's really just equipment stops working, de-icing fluid stops being as effective, and so that can just really impact your ability to get flights out on time, and landing and taking off as normal."
CAA getting calls for boosts
The frigid temperatures are also keeping CAA Saskatchewan busy.
CAA Saskatchewan's director of communication Christine Niemczyk said the roadside assistance service has received 600 to 700 calls for service in the past 24 hours.
"I would say the majority, again as I'm looking at the figures for Regina, Saskatoon, in the rural areas, are for boosts, battery boosts," Niemczyk said on Monday. "So it's very important to make sure your vehicle is plugged in."
Niemczyk added roadside assistance might come a little bit slower than normal because of the increased volume of calls.
She recommended staying in your vehicle or finding shelter if your car breaks down, because it is currently too cold to safely wait for roadside assistance outside.
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With files from Scott Larson and David Houle