Southern Saskatchewan enters a deep chill as Christmas approaches

Jack Frost seems to have paid a visit to southern Saskatchewan.

With the cold weather, Regina is under a snowfall warning from Environment Canada. The Queen City is expected to see around 10 to 20 cm of snow over the next day.

Areas like Moose Jaw, Kindersley and Estevan could all see pockets of up to 20 cm of snow.

The City of Regina has also declared snow routes are in affect starting 6 a.m. Thursday.

“This means there is no on-street parking along the identified routes for a 24-hour period,” the city said in a press release.

“This parking ban allows crews to plow the roads from curb to curb, improving traffic flow along the busy roadways. It will also help ensure roads are passable for emergency response vehicles.”

Blue signs with a white snowflake identify the snow routes.

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In Saskatoon, an extreme cold warning was issued earlier in the day Wednesday but has been lifted as of 3 p.m.

Overnight, temperatures are expected to reach – 28 with a wind chill of – 34.

Environment Canada meteorologist Danielle Desjardins said her major concern is the roads, with Highway 16 and Highway 1 expected to see the worst of it.

“We’re expecting snow to accumulate quite rapidly and also for the visibilities to be reduced with blowing and falling snow,” Desjardins said.

“That could make travel on roadways or highways quite treacherous so if you can delay travel plans that is recommended.”

More snow could fall Thursday and into Friday, but Desjardins expects it to slow down.

And for those who aren’t Frosty the Snowman, frostbite can occur within minutes of being outside. Some of the warning signs include red cheeks and numbness, and hands may start to hurt rather than feeling cold.

However, kids can safely head back outside to play in Saskatoon’s winter wonderland as we head into the weekend.

“We’re going to see temperatures climb into the minus single digits again, so much closer to the normal for this time of year,” Desjardins,

“Early into next week, it looks like we could see temperatures approaching zero and actually above zero especially in the southwest corner of Saskatchewan.”

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