NetNewsLedger Weather – Kenora, Lake of the Woods, Grassy Narrows FN & Whitedog FN
THUNDER BAY – WEATHER DESK – It is a classic mid-December morning across Kenora, Lake of the Woods, Grassy Narrows First Nation and Whitedog First Nation, with light snow in the air and the kind of cold that nips at your nose the moment you step outside.
It’s “Put mittens on your kittens” today – and also please make sure your pets are not left outside too long.
At 5:00 AM CST, the observation from Kenora Airport showed light snow falling with a temperature of –12.7°C. A north-northeast breeze at 9 km/h is taking that down to a wind chill of about –18. Humidity is high at 89 percent, the dew point is –14.2°C, visibility sits at 16 kilometres, and barometric pressure is at 101.3 kPa and rising as a high-pressure ridge noses in behind the flurries.
Flurries This Morning, Brighter but Still Cold This Afternoon
Through this morning, a mix of sun and cloud will share the sky with a 60 percent chance of flurries. Any snow that does fall should be light, but with the already snow-covered ground, it will be enough to keep roads and side streets slick and the plows and sanders busy. The northeast wind around 20 km/h early on will become light this morning, but the air mass overhead is solidly Arctic. The high will reach near –13°C, yet with the earlier breeze the wind chill will feel closer to –22°C this morning, only easing to around –16°C this afternoon.
Tonight and Thursday: Clear Skies, Colder Nights, More Flurries Lurking
Tonight the skies will clear, making for a crisp, starry night over the islands and shorelines of Lake of the Woods. Winds will stay light, up to about 15 km/h, and the temperature will slide down to around –19°C.
With that light breeze, the wind chill will make it feel closer to –23°C overnight, so any exposed skin will feel the sting if you are out walking the dog or heading between houses and vehicles.
On Thursday, a mix of sun and cloud returns, and it will look like a beautiful winter day, but the thermometer will disagree with any thoughts of “mild.” The high will again be near –13°C, and even with light winds up to 15 km/h, the morning wind chill will hover around –26°C before improving to about –19°C in the afternoon. That is frostbite-risk weather for anyone spending longer stretches outside without proper gear.
Cloud will thicken again Thursday night with a 60 percent chance of flurries and a low near –19°C, adding a fresh dusting of snow ahead of Friday.
Friday and the Weekend: Steady Flurries and Deep Freeze Nights
Friday is expected to stay cloudy with a 60 percent chance of flurries and a colder high near –19°C. Behind that, colder air pushes in once again, dropping the temperature to around –25°C Friday night under mostly cloudy skies with a lingering 30 percent chance of flurries.
The weekend keeps the winter theme steady. Saturday is forecast to be cloudy with a high near –20°C and a low close to –24°C under cloudy periods. Sunday remains cloudy with a slightly milder high near –17°C and a low near –18°C. Monday and Tuesday stay cloudy as well with highs nudging up into the minus low teens on Monday and closer to –8°C on Tuesday, still below freezing but a touch softer than the mid-week chill.
What to Wear Around Kenora and Lake of the Woods – Dress for Winter Warm!
This is not light jacket weather; this is “dress for the wind chill” season. Anyone heading out this morning will want a proper insulated winter coat over a warm base layer, ideally something like thermal underwear or a fleece top to trap heat. Snow pants or lined pants make a big difference if you are walking any distance, working outdoors, or out on the lake. On your feet, insulated winter boots with thick socks are essential, especially with light snow hiding icy patches underfoot.
A toque that covers your ears, warm mitts instead of thin gloves, and a scarf or neck warmer you can pull up over your face will make those –20-range wind chills much easier to handle. With breaks of sun in the forecast today and especially on Thursday, a pair of sunglasses is also a good idea to reduce the glare off the snow and ice, whether you are downtown or out on the ice roads.
Lake of the Woods Weather Trivia
The Lake of the Woods region is famous for its maze of islands and intricate shoreline, and in winter that landscape transforms into a network of snowmobile trails and ice routes. When the cold settles in like it has this week, it helps build strong ice that supports winter travel, ice fishing and access to remote cabins and communities. The same cold that has people pulling their scarves higher is what turns the lake into a solid, glittering winter highway.
