Cloudy with flurries today, bitter wind chills tonight, bright but cold weekend ahead
Thunder Bay – Weather Desk – At 6:33 a.m. CST, Dryden Airport reports –12.2°C with a wind chill of –18 under light snow. The wind is WSW 11 km/h, barometric pressure 100.7 kPa and rising, humidity 86%, and visibility 10 km. Roads are mainly snow covered with slick spots where drifting and refreeze have set in.
If you are headed out on the highways today, be sure to check 511on.ca for the latest updates. Overnight, the OPP closed Highway 17 eastbound at Nipigon due to highway conditions.
Today — Cloudy with on-and-off flurries, gusts picking up by noon
Clouds hang tough with a 60% chance of flurries. By late morning, winds shift westerly 20 km/h, gusting to 40, pushing a high near –9°C that will still feel closer to –19. Visibility may dip in heavier bursts, especially in open areas and along Wabigoon Lake.
Dryden Tonight — Partly cloudy, much colder, frostbite risk
Skies turn partly cloudy with a 30% chance of flurries. Winds NW 20 km/h gusting to 40 ease late this evening. Temperatures tumble to –22°C, with wind chill near –19 this evening and down to –28 overnight. Frostbite risk rises; keep skin covered and trips short.
Weekend — Bright sun, sharp cold
Saturday is sunny with light winds up to 15 km/h. The high is –15°C, but wind chill plunges to –30 in the morning and –21 in the afternoon. Saturday night is clear, low –23°C. Sunday stays sunny with a high near –16°C and increasing cloud Sunday night, low –22°C. It’s a beautiful but unforgiving stretch of winter weather.
What to wear and how to travel
Dress in layers: a thermal base, insulating mid-layer, and a wind-resistant parka. Add a toque, insulated mitts, and a neck warmer or balaclava, plus winter boots with good tread. On the roads, expect drifting in open stretches, slick intersections, and black ice after dark. Slow down and give yourself extra time.
Dryden weather trivia
A west–northwest breeze can steer narrow flurry streamers across Wabigoon Lake, leaving one side with fresh powder while the other sees barely a dusting—classic Dryden microclimate.
