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By paNOW/CKOM

Weather warnings

‘Stay inside’: Long stretch of extreme cold expected as Arctic air moves into Sask.

Jan 22, 2026 | 9:56 AM

It’s a great day to stay inside in Saskatchewan.

Cold warnings from Environment Canada blanketed almost the entire province on Thursday morning as Arctic air moves in from the north. The weather service said wind chills as low as -45 C are expected to last for several days. The only part of the province that wasn’t covered by the warning was the southwestern corner, including communities like Maple Creek and Eastend.

The orange parts on Environment Canada’s weather warning map indicate severe weather that is ‘likely to cause significant damage, disruption or health impacts’ and may last a few days. Orange alerts are uncommon.

According to the weather agency’s forecasts, Prince Albert can expect a high of just -28 C on Thursday, followed by an overnight low of -37 C. The cold will continue well into Saturday when there is a forecasted high of -30 C. It’s a similar story in Melfort. In the North Battleford and Meadow Lake areas, highs of -28 C and -30 C, respectively, are expected with overnight lows of -40 C and -36 C. La Ronge is set to drop to -37 C Thursday night, ahead of a high of -28 C Friday.

The cold warnings stretched from Alberta to Ontario on Thursday morning, with only the southwestern corner of Saskatchewan spared. “It is a very large area,” said meteorologist Rose Carlsen. (Environment Canada)

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Meteorologist Rose Carlsen said the extreme cold is due to a combination of high surface pressure, clear skies and chilly Arctic air.

“All those things combined lead to generally very cold temperatures, which is what we’re seeing this morning and will be seeing, unfortunately, for the next couple of days,” Carlsen said.

“Generally if you get an extreme-cold event in the winter it’s usually just like a day or two. We’re expecting a few days from this event.”

As the chilly air settles in over the province, Carlsen said temperatures will likely drop off quite quickly in the evenings.

“When you have clear skies and a very cold Arctic air mass in place – which is what we do have – there’s a very quick temperature drop-off once we lose that warming from the sun,” she explained.

Carlsen said her advice is pretty simple: stay indoors as much as possible.

“The best thing that you can do with this kind of extreme weather is limit exposure as much as possible. Stay inside,” she said.

“If you do have to go outside, dress in layers, but the very best thing that anybody can do for themselves and their loved ones is to limit exposure.”

The latest updates on the weather alerts can be found on Environment Canada’s website.

-With files from paNOW