Cold, 'very dangerous' temperatures continue in Sask.
Warmest overnight low reached -32.5 C in Estevan
People living in Saskatchewan say Friday was one of the coldest days they've seen in a while.
"This is my sixth winter here and this is quite possibly one of the worst days," said Sid Chaudhry.
He wasn't the only one who thought the cold was unbearable.
"It's hard to get through the streets when the cold weather bites you," said Aaron Peequhuat-Svanderlik.
Environment and Climate Change Canada reports multiple towns have broken cold weather records.
The warmest place in the province as of Friday morning was Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, which is in the southwest corner of the province. Temperatures rose there to –30.9 C.
“Skin can freeze in under a couple minutes,” warned Brad Vrolijk, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
“When you throw even a light wind on top of that, it gets very dangerous."
Still, some people in Saskatoon braved the cold anyway, like Australian visitor Ian Hagnarty. He told CBC News that the only way he's coping is by trying out local pubs.
ECCC has issued an orange warning for most of Saskatchewan, which means the weather is likely to cause widespread or significant damage.
Saskatoon has escalated its winter emergency response plan from now until next Wednesday because of the cold snap. This means agencies across the city will be taking a targeted approach to try to shelter homeless or vulnerable people from the cold.
In Regina, the three primary warming spaces — Awasiw, Carmichael Outreach and Newo Yotina Friendship Centre — are open.
An overnight warming bus service started on Thursday, providing transport between the spaces and acting as an overflow if the warming centres are at capacity. The bus will run through the weekend between the hours of 8 p.m. and 9 a.m., with outreach staff and security on board at all times of operation.
Vrolijk said beyond health and safety concerns, issues with equipment and infrastructure begin to arise when it's so cold for so long.
“On the first day most people's cars start — no problem ... by the third day you start to notice that suddenly there's queues building to get cars boosted."
Saskatoon fire marshal warns of indoor hazards
The Saskatoon fire department is telling residents to take extra care as the low temperatures can lead to an increase in fires and carbon monoxide incidents.
“With any fuel-burning appliance, incomplete combustion does cause carbon monoxide,” Fire Marshal Ryan Bradley said.
“In these weather conditions, what happens is your exhaust system or your intake system on the exterior of your home will frost up or freeze over, and that causes a limitation in how the furnace operates.”
Bradley also suggests keeping an eye on manufacturer recommendations when using electric or gas space heaters.
“We do want to make sure that we are paying attention to the surface or set on how far away combustible products are from those heaters, and that the heaters are in good working condition.”
Cold affects how STARS Ambulance responds to calls
The severe cold is affecting how critical care workers, like STARS Ambulance, do their job.
They're still responding to calls on one of the coldest days of the year in the province, but need to continuously monitor the dropping temperatures.
Their aircraft can't operate in ambient temperatures at -45 C or below. (That doesn't include wind chill.)
Tolmie said there isn't an increase in call volumes during extreme weather events, but that the calls they do respond to tend to involve more critical conditions.
"The patient is the biggest thing that we have to worry about in the extreme cold temperatures," Barry Tolmie, an aviation manager and pilot for STARS, told CBC.
"Just in that short distance from the hospital emergency room to the helipad, some of our small [IV] lines can freeze out on the staff," he offered as an example.
Crews responding to calls also need a lot more time to prepare before heading out, ensuring they are bundled up and ready to work outside for extended periods.
"The crew always dresses for the situation that if we ever have to land somewhere and we can't get started and we have to spend the night somewhere out in the cold," Tolmie said.
"We also have survival here and everything on board the helicopter if necessary."
Relief on the way
Cold weather records were set in three towns for the night of Jan. 22:
- Assiniboia hit a new record of –36 C, passing the old record of –35.6 C from 1966.
- The temperature was –36.5 C in Lucky Lake, where records have been kept since 1972.
- Rockglen’s new record is –34.3 C. It has tracked data since 1970.
ECCC said quite a few more places will likely set records again on Friday.
It expects the deep freeze to last at least until Sunday.
“We'll see some improvement beginning on the weekend," said Vrolijk.
"In a kind of backwards-seeming way, we're going to see the warmer weather arrive in the north before the south.”
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