Chatham

Respite From Extreme Cold Will Be Short-Lived

Southwestern Ontario is for another bone-chillingly cold day Friday, and there will be a respite Saturday, but it's not going to be with us very long.

Environment Canada has forecasted a high of 6 C (43 F) for Saturday, and Senior Climatologist David Phillips says the sudden melt will only last a few hours before the next winter storm system moves into the region.

As for Friday, Phillips advises residents to bundle up. Don't skip the hat and mittens.  The region should also expect snow starting in the late afternoon.

"Some brutally cold temperatures -- about a dozen degrees colder than they should be for this time of the year," says Phillips. "The last time we saw temperatures like this was last Valentine's Day."

However, once we get past the next few days, he says temperatures should be much more what we should expect for mid-to-late December.

"We're going to ease into the Christmas period, and we're going to actually see some temperatures that are close to normal, hovering around the freezing mark," says Phillips.

Winter officially arrives December 21 at 5:44am.

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