This week will deliver the coldest temperatures and highest wind chill values of the winter. Bitterly and brutally cold air is descending over the eastern prairies of Manitoba. Everyone wants to have a good and comfortable temperature inside the house, especially when you come for the outside freezing cold! But, like for everything in this life, there is a bill for that.
In the worst cold weather, the province’s Public Utilities Board (PUB) announced that natural gas prices would increase from Friday, February 1st.
PUB approved the application of Centra Gas Manitoba Inc. on the rate hike. New tariffs will come up to $0.091 per cubic meter compared to the current $0.083 per cubic meter.
This means an increase of about 2.3 percent or about $16 a year for the average consumer, PUB said.
Natural gas prices are revised quarterly by PUB and next time they will be revised in May of 2019.
The forecast this week includes most nights with temperatures falling below -30 C, wind chill values in the -40s and even -50s, and daytime highs near -30 C. Overnight temperatures are unlikely to break records for extreme cold but Wednesday afternoon could come close to the record for coldest maximum temperature on January 30th. Currently, the coldest maximum temperature record is -30.8.
For Winnipeggers, the cold isn’t going away any time soon. Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the -20 to -30 C ranges for at least a week, and long-range models from Environment and Climate Change Canada indicates temperatures are likely to stay below normal until nearly the end of the month.
Overall a country can expect a steady transition to winter and moderate temperatures in January. Fellow Winnipeggers, please get ready for the cold weather, it is not just about warm clothes for you and your family, but also make sure to change your tires for a winter ones and prepare all necessary equipment for snow cleaning, so you will have time to deal with the snow in front of your house and to get to work safely and on time.