There is light at the end of the bitterly cold tunnel in southern Manitoba, but it will still take a couple of days to reach it.
For now, an extreme cold warning issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) remains in effect on Wednesday for most of the south, including Winnipeg, Brandon and Dauphin.
Despite the warning, daytime highs around -21 C are expected on Wednesday afternoon in several southwest regions, including Brandon.
Temperatures will be slightly less cold in the southeast with highs for most areas forecast to reach -16 C or -17 C, including Winnipeg.
Overnight lows Wednesday will drop once again to the upper -20s or low -30s under a clear sky across the south. Wind chill values will feel as cold as the -40s, mainly in the southwest.
However, the weather agency is signalling that relief is finally on the way soon.
An arctic ridge of high pressure that’s been locked on to our region over the last few days is stubbornly moving off to the southeast. By Thursday morning, the cold air mass will be nudged along by warmer Pacific air starting to replace it.
By Friday, this current cold snap should start to feel like a distant memory. Winnipeg is forecast to reach -8 C, one degree cooler than the normal high for late February.
There is a trade-off with the warmer weather on the way. Arctic high pressure has brought several bitterly cold, but sunny days. Ahead this weekend, temperatures will reach, if not exceed, the freezing mark, but sky conditions will be cloudy Saturday before turning to rain or a rain-snow mix on Sunday.
