Bundle up! A cold spell is expected for northwestern Ontario this weekend

Be sure to have those clothing layers on hand as Northwestern Ontario heads into a cold spell this weekend. 

No more light winter coats: Big jackets, mitts, and hats will be required while approaching the coldest temperatures of the season in the region.

The northwestern region has been experiencing a very mild winter season with temperatures averaging several degrees above typical conditions throughout the entire month of January; daytime highs have been averaging about -2 C.

However, that's expected to change on Saturday, with the arrival of a cold front bringing overnight lows of about -30 C to the region.

"The colder than normal temperatures are expected to continue through, at the very least, the first week of February. A lot of model guidance for the long range is showing that trend could continue through to mid-February," Steven Flisfeder, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said on Tuesday. 

"It's a little soon to say how the latter half of February will play out."

The mild weather may have not allowed time for individuals to acclimatize to the colder temperatures as they would during previous winter seasons.

Flisfeder suggests that people take extra precautions by layering up and covering any exposed skin to avoid frostbite.

The colder weather is making its way to Canada from Russia.

Earlier this month, a weather station in Siberia recorded a low of -62.4 C; that was Siberia's coldest recorded temperature in 21 years