It's been 21 years since we had as cold a Christmas Day as what Environment Canada is forecasting for Monday.

The temperature that day is not supposed to get any warmer than -24 degrees to -26 degrees. Back on December 25, 1996, the mercury peaked at -27.8 degrees for a high. The coldest Christmas Day for southern Manitoba was recorded way back in 1892 when the high reached -30.0 degrees.

Dan Kulak with Environment Canada says it doesn't appear this cold snap will be short lived. He says it will probably linger into early January.

Kulak says there isn't much for snow in the forecast over the next couple of weeks. Some light snow is expected over the next few days and then the sky should clear as the temperature plummets.

Meanwhile, last year on Christmas Day the temperature reached -7 degrees, while in 2015 it hit -10 degrees and in 2014 the high was -2 degrees.