Saskatchewan remains under the grip of extreme cold and dangerous Arctic air, but there could be light at the end of the tunnel.
Both Regina and Saskatoon have been under an extreme cold warning for many days, but it hasn’t stopped those who work outside from getting the job done.
“Honestly it’s just the wind,” said Joel Turner, who works at the Kahkewistahaw Gas & Convenience Store. “If there’s no wind it’s a lot more bearable and a lot more tolerable obviously.”
Turner has developed strategies to try and outlast the cold, like wearing a dry wool layer under his jacket, eating high calorie foods and heading inside to warm up on breaks when he can.
Even so, pumping gas in the cold weather can be a challenge he says. But lately, people have been pretty kind to him.
“Valentine’s Day, actually, I was picking up way more tips than I was anticipating so that was pretty cool,” Turner said. “It’s not what I expect or look for, but it’s always appreciated.”
On Sunday, five Saskatchewan communities saw the coldest Feb. 16 on record.
Then the following day, a total of 19 communities broke cold records including, Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw, Collins Bay and Spiritwood.
The coldest of them all? Key Lake in northern Sask., where it reached -48.8 C on Monday.
Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips said what makes this cold stretch so much worse than normal is that February has been largely 10 to 15 degrees colder than the historical average.
“There is no competition to all this cold air coming from the north,” Phillips explained. “There is no American systems coming up and the Pacific systems are kind of dead in the water. The cold air just has its own territory, and you can’t kick it out.”
In cold weather like this, energy companies prepare for the worst but continue operations as usual.
“Our electrical infrastructure is built to handle extreme weather and extreme temperatures,” Jodi Woolam with SaskEnergy said. “For the most part, things are going quite well. We’re actually exporting power to the United States right now, so we have a little bit of a surplus.”
With everyone heating their homes on full blast, SaskEnergy is warning the public to be mindful of the silent, odourless killer, carbon monoxide.
“A simple precaution is to make sure that your furnace vents, intake valves and chimneys are clear of snow and ice because if those vents are blocked, carbon monoxide can’t escape and instead starts to build up inside the home.”
Good news for residents is on the horizon though.
Temperatures are expected to warm up in the next few days with Sunday currently sitting at 4 C.