'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.

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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.