Southern Manitoba should see a break from the extreme cold temperatures for at least the rest of this week.

In Steinbach, eight of the last 13 days have experienced temperatures of at least -30 degrees. This has prompted Environment Canada to issue Extreme Cold Warnings on a couple of occasions. But, the weather is changing, and by this afternoon, Steinbach could see temperatures that are a full eight degrees above normal.

Meteorologist Natalie Hasell explains that southern Manitoba was under the influence of an arctic ridge, which is an area of high pressure that develops as cold air from the north and makes its way to our part of the province. But, we are now under the influence of a double-barrelled low. Hasell says we have already seen the passage of one warm front and depending on when the second warm front passes, will determine just how warm it gets today.

"Areas like the southwestern corner of the province have already seen the passage of that second front," she says. "At Melita, their morning temperature is -5 and they could see temperatures as warm as +2 this afternoon."

Hasell says the second front will probably only reach the Red River Valley by late this afternoon, which is why Steinbach's high is -4 degrees today.

The warmest January 11th ever recorded in Steinbach was 6.5 degrees back in 1986.

"We might get to see a little bit of that second warmer air mass, but not before the sun sets," she explains. "So we're not going to see temperatures above zero in the Red River Valley very much."

And, according to Environment Canada, today might be the closest we get to a January thaw in Steinbach. Today is expected to be the warmest day of the week and Hasell says by Monday we should daytime highs back in the -20 degree range. Those below normal temperatures should last at least a week.

Hasell calls it a coincidence that most years southern Manitoba experiences either a January thaw or a February thaw. Similar to what is happening today, Hasell says if the ridge of high pressure sitting over an area finally allows the low-pressure system to come through, that is when we notice a huge change in the weather.

Meanwhile, there is also a chance of some snow this week. Environment Canada is calling for a slim chance of snow tonight before we see periods of snow tomorrow. There is also a chance of flurries on Saturday night and into Sunday. Hasell says they are not anticipating any significant accumulations over the next few days.