Brrr!
- Details
- Published on Thursday, January 8, 2015
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Banner
Neepawa and the surrounding region started 2015 in a deep freeze, as cold temperatures and frigid wind chills blanketed much of the province.
Environment Canada preparedness meteorologist John Paul Cragg reported that a “large area of arctic high-pressure” originating from Siberia has been covering most of the prairies for the past week to ten days. Because of this high pressure system, an extreme cold warning was in place earlier this week for all over southern Manitoba, including Neepawa, Minnedosa, Russell, and Riding Mountain National Park. Cragg added that the arctic air will likely stay in the area well into the weekend and potentially until the middle or end of next week.
The temperature had a substantial toll on many vehicles, as CAA Manitoba reported that Monday, Jan. 5, was the busiest day for service requests the organization had seen in 14 months. CAA Manitoba spokesperson Angele Young said there were a few simply things people need to remember to keep their cars in commission.
“Remember to plug in your vehicles,” said Young. “We’ve been waking up to extremely cold weather. Temperature of -25 celsius, with a wind chill of -35 or worse in some areas. When these temperature persists for a few days, we start to see more problems. A lot of them could be prevented by simply plugging your car in at least three hours before you intend to drive it. If you’re concerned about your battery, start your vehicle midday and check your block heater and inspect all cords to ensure they are not damaged or frayed.”
Closer to home, people have been dealing with the cold as best they can and have been taking the necessary precautions to ensure their vehicles. Several local auto repair and towing services have noted that they received many calls for jumpstarts late in December and early in January.
“It has been hectic,” said Dave Humeny of Ben’s Auto Repair. “We’ve seen a lot of people coming in with concerns over their car battery or their block heaters. With this type of weather, it’s to be expected.”
