– Winnipeg deep freeze as cold as uninhabited planet (CBC News, Jan 1, 2014):
Manitoba Museum reports Winnipeg’s temperature as cold as surface of Mars
In terms of astonishing weather facts, it doesn’t get much more impressive than being as cold as a distant planet for a day.
Grounded planes
It’s so cold that one airline has decided not to fly in or out of Winnipeg.
ExpressJet, a partner of United Airlines, cancelled some flights Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Passengers are being moved onto flights operated by other airlines and rerouted through other cities. ExpressJet says the unique combination of extreme low temperatures and ice crystals exceed safe operating guidelines for their aircraft.
A spokesperson told CBC News there will be more cancellations as long as the forecast stays the same citing safety as the number one priority.
The aircraft ExpressJet flies are smaller commuter planes that carry 35-70 passengers.
However, other airlines operate the same type of planes and are flying as usual.
Happy for delay
Allison Schmidt, who teaches in Japan, was set to fly to Chicago and then Tokyo but her flight has been delayed for at least a day.
And the Winnipegger who was visiting family for Christmas couldn’t be happier about it.
“I had booked this flight because it was about $300 or $400 cheaper [to leave before the New Year]. I thought it was worth it for just one night,” she said.
“But I was really regretting it this morning, saying goodbye. I felt like the nine days just went by far too quickly.
“So now I get to spend New Year’s with my family [and] January 1st is actually my mom’s birthday.”
The Winnipeg Airports Authority says other than United, the cold weather hasn’t impacted operations at Richardson International.
The Manitoba Museum is reporting Winnipeg’s temperatures on Tuesday were actually as cold as the surface of Mars.
According to the Curiosity Rover, Mars reached a maximum temperature of -29 C on Tuesday, a temperature Winnipeg only reached shortly before 3 p.m.
The deep freeze over much of Southern Manitoba prompted extreme wind chill warnings in the area and most of the north.
In Winnipeg, the daytime high temperature for Tuesday was only expected to reach –31 C, but the windchill made it feel more like –40 to –50. That means exposed skin can freeze in less than five minutes.
On Monday, it got as warm as –28 C.