School divisions in and around Regina announced Tuesday morning that school buses would not be running, as most of the southern half of the province was under an extreme cold warning.

Environment Canada issued an extreme cold warning for the city of Regina shortly after 5 a.m. CST Tuesday, stating that wind chill was expected to feel like –40 to –50.

The temperature in Regina at 6 a.m. CST was –33 C, with the wind chill feeling like –46, according to the national weather agency.

Regina Public Schools cancelled all student transportation due to the low temperatures and wind chill, a spokesperson said in a statement to news media. The school district's policy is to cancel specialized buses with wheelchair lifts when the wind chill drops below –40 C, and all transportation if wind chill is colder than –46.

Regina Catholic Schools also cancelled transportation Tuesday, but schools remained open, the school district said on social media.

All RCSD provided Transportation is cancelled for today, Tuesday, December 20. Schools are open. Please report absences to the school via Edsby or by calling the office.<br>Stay safe and warm!

The Prairie Valley School Division, which serves a large area outside of Regina, also cancelled school bus routes Tuesday morning for students attending certain schools due to the cold. Buses were still expected to operate in the afternoon, according to a statement issued to news media Tuesday.

The statement said another notice would go out around 1 p.m. CST if buses cannot operate Tuesday afternoon.

Environment Canada issued extreme cold warnings for most of the southern half of Saskatchewan, from The Battlefords-Unity-Maidstone-St. Walburg area to the Yorkton-Melville-Esterhazy area and everywhere south from there.

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