A cold snap is getting in the way of some Winnipeggers' plans today, prompting a community centre to cancel its winter activities and forcing all of the city's school divisions to halt school bus services for the day.

The temperature on Friday morning was –31 C, but it felt like –42 C with the wind chill.

A number of rural school divisions shut down completely due to the extremely cold temperatures. In the city, school bus services were cancelled, but classes remained in session, though most schools held recess indoors.

A number of community centers were also forced to shut things down.

The Corydon Community Centre cancelled its outdoor games Friday and said the cold has canceled at least one hockey tournament. Organizers are worried about their annual winter carnival.

“It’s a safety issue. We are really, really concerned about kids freezing their skin, freezing their feet,” said Jim Carson of the Corydon Community Centre.

The cold has forced the centre to cancel the fireworks show. Carson is hoping festivities can resume on the weekend. The cold also bit into one Winnipeg family’s winter tradition.

Terence Bergmann constructs an igloo in his St. Francois Xavier backyard and then sleeps inside with his children each year.

“Two of them came outside and slept with me, but we didn’t make it through the night,” said Bergmann. “It was about –18 C and one of them woke up with cold feet.”

Bergmann said the sleep-out is being rescheduled for the weekend.

“My daughter was a little bummed out, but I said to her, ‘Ask your friends at school how many have slept outside in this weather. You made it further than them,’” said Bergmann.

And the Bergmanns will likely be in luck. CBC weather specialist Marilyn Maki said a reprieve from cold temperatures is on the way.

"Our temperatures are going to start to moderate over the weekend," said Maki.

Better yet, this time the city should be in for more than a few days of reprieve from the bitter cold.

"We’ll be looking at daytime highs in the [minus] mid-teens for Saturday and Sunday, then back to seasonal values for next week," said Maki.

The seasonal high for this time of year is –11 C.