'Long way from the finish line': Sask. residents weigh in on sudden blast of wintry weather
It’s no surprise in Saskatchewan that sometimes winter can extend right into spring —and that was the reality for many across the province when they woke up Wednesday morning.
Most are taking this last shot of winter in stride, while farmers welcome the moisture.
Those CTV News spoke to didn’t mind the abrupt return to winter, like Saskatoon resident Vicky Xil.
“I think it’s nice to have a little bit of snow, because we had a warm winter this year so snow I feel like it’s good,” she said.
Her small daughter, however, didn’t feel quite as certain.
“I like it a little bit, but it’s pretty cold,” she said.
Tobin Kirkness was out in shorts Wednesday afternoon in downtown Saskatoon and forgot his jacket at home, which he regretted, but he wasn’t too concerned about the snow.
“It will be gone in three days,” he said.
But with snow falling overnight and into Wednesday, Saskatchewan highways were in less than ideal shape, with travel advisories updating throughout the day due to wet, drifting snow and poor visibility.
Shawn Colborn has a mixed farm near Delisle with 12,000 acres of grains, pulse crops and oil seeds, as well as cattle and chickens — so he sees the snow from a different perspective.
“It’s definitely positive, but a long way from the finish line. We’re going into this year excessively dry, and this will at least help us get this crop started,” Colborn said.
After four years of drought, he admits this snow won’t be enough, and they’re counting on a lot of rain in spring and summer.
“Risk management tools that we have are adequate but they’re not designed for another year or two of drought, so it’s definitely top of mind, the weather.”
Saskatchwan’s Water Security Agency (WSA) reports very little rain or snow fell in the southwest part of the province and in the southeast, it stopped in the early afternoon.
Sean Osmar with the agency tells CTV News,
“The biggest potential remains in the areas north of Yorkton and Nipawin where runoff had only recently started and there was already a healthy snowpack before additional snows fell. Further north where the snowfall is currently heaviest will likely see the biggest impact,” said WSA spokesperson Sean Osmar.
Depending on how the temperatures warm up later this week and next, Osmar expects to have a better picture of runoff. If there’s a rapid warming then we can expect quicker runoff into streams, rivers, and lakes. If the warmup is slower than typical, that water would absorb into the soil.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lanny McDonald and a few old Flames take the Stanley Cup on a surprise visit to the man who saved his life
The Stanley Cup was passing through town Friday, and Lanny Legend took it upon himself to take it for a surprise visit.
Bathroom break nearly derails $22 million project at city council meeting
A brief break during Wednesday's city council meeting in Saskatoon nearly cost the city dearly.
Chad Daybell sentenced to death for killing wife and girlfriend’s two children in jury decision
Jurors resumed deliberations Saturday on whether a man should be sentenced to death after being convicted days earlier of the murders of his wife and his girlfriend’s two youngest children in Idaho.
Robert Pickton stabbed with toothbrush and broken broom handle: victim's family
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
Father who killed one-year-old son with axe may be allowed to travel in southwestern Ontario
A Mennonite father who killed his one-year-old son with an axe may be allowed to travel to parts of southern Ontario in the coming months
'It feels like freedom': Why some Albertans like going nude in nature
Few people can say they accidentally purchased a nude beach — but Shelley can. When she saw a piece of land she could fondly remember camping on was up for sale, she inquired about it and ended up purchasing it. She soon found that there were already inhabitants on it.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
China lands spacecraft on the moon amid growing space rivalry with U.S.
A Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.
Pedestrian dies after being hit by train in Brockville, Ont.
Brockville Police says a pedestrian has died following a collision with a train that was heading to Toronto.