It was a story that caught the attention of many people Wednesday – the polar vortex had settled over Siberia and brought temperatures as cold as -60° to that remote part of Russia. Even worse, it was on its way to Canada in the coming weeks, specifically the prairies.  

With the average temperature so far in Weyburn in 2023 being a relatively balmy -7°, the thought of -60° has some people looking to book trips to warmer locales before the deep freeze hits.  

Terri Lang is a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. She explained that the airmass that is currently over Russia will be moving in our direction, but we shouldn’t be expecting temperatures as cold as Siberia.  

“The colder air does make its way down,” Lang said. “Usually by the time it gets to us, it's modified somewhat because we do have sunshine that modifies it, you know, and we do get more hours of sunshine than some of the places farther to the north.” 

We are also entering the final part of January, and going into February, which is the coldest part of the winter. Just four years ago, we saw the coldest temperature ever recorded in Weyburn when the mercury dropped to -41.6°. Having the temperature get into the -20° to -30° isn’t all that unusual for Weyburn.  

The weather that we have been seeing as of late, though, can definitely shape our perception of a typical winter. 

“It's not unusual, but because we've been sort of under this blanket of fog and low cloud and freezing drizzle for so long, I think colder temperatures will be a shock,” added Lang. “But I think it's going to be more shocking is actually seeing the sun, which we haven't seen for weeks; so often with these really cold air masses that's when we actually get to see the sun.” 

The weather in Weyburn has been very atypical for January. The average daytime high has been -7.5°, which is slightly above seasonal. The warmer-than-average temperature, combined with the aforementioned fog, drizzle and humidity, has made the winter seem almost tropical compared to some Januarys of the past.  

Before the cold air hits, though, we may see another shot of milder temperatures, as a different system makes its way through southeast Saskatchewan. 

“We do have a weather system coming through from the Mackenzie Valley over the weekend, and we'll probably see some snow with that; even milder temperatures than what we're getting now,” Lang forecasted.  

Behind that will be a few different systems, including the one bringing the cold air.  

Find out the latest forecast by visiting the Discover Weyburn Weather page.