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Cold week ahead in Red Deer

Red Deerians should make sure they bundle up and stay warm this week.
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Aaron Hilz shovels his driveway in Bower on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo by Sean McIntosh/Advocate staff)

Red Deerians should make sure they bundle up and stay warm this week.

Temperatures are expected to drop to the -20 C range during the day through Friday, with snow falling Wednesday and Thursday.

With wind chill, temperatures will drop to around -30 C Wednesday and Thursday nights.

The weekend will be warmer, with highs around -5 C Saturday and Sunday, but the nights will stay cold, with highs around -20 C.

The cold front came in from the north early Tuesday morning, said Natalie Hasell, Environment and Climate Change Canada warning preparedness meteorologist.

“People need to pay attention and be careful in this type of situation,” said Hasell. “We aren’t talking about extreme cold conditions, but when you start to look at wind chill, there is a chance of frostbite and hypothermia.”

Temperatures are expected to rise above 0 C Monday afternoon.

“We’ll have to wait until we’re a bit closer to that time to see how reasonable that is … but this cold snap won’t last as long as the one we were dealing with in late December and early January,” said Hasell.

There is a chance of flurries Wednesday and Thursday; however Hasell said Environment Canada isn’t expecting any significant accumulation in the Red Deer area.

Temperatures rose above 0 C Monday, which had snow melt and then freeze, she added.

“Snow on top of ice can make for some really dicey road conditions. Just because we aren’t expecting too much snow accumulation doesn’t mean driving conditions will be any easier,” said Hasell.

Hasell said blowing snow could affect few areas such as airports, highways and perhaps a few intersections.

“If you’re driving you might want to pay attention to the weather coming up and drive to the conditions appropriately,” she said.

Drivers should have an emergency kit in their vehicle just to be safe, Hasell said. If a driver gets stranded on the highway, they should call for help and stay in the car, she added.

“It’s easier for people helping to find a car than it is to find a person. Stay in your car because you don’t be one of those stories we hear every year.”



sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com

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Sean McIntosh

About the Author: Sean McIntosh

Sean joined the Red Deer Advocate team in the summer of 2017. Originally from Ontario, he worked in a small town of 2,000 in Saskatchewan for seven months before coming to Central Alberta.
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