Snowmobilers parked due to unseasonably-warm weather

Count snowmobilers among those who’ve had their winter fun disrupted by unseasonably-warm temperatures.

A glance at the province’s trail map shows hardly any snowmobile trails open in the north, while they’re completely closed in the south.

“It’s not normal. December, this time of year, we normally have snow on the ground, we usually see snowmobiles running around but Mother Nature’s not cooperating yet,” said Chris Brewer, president of the Saskatchewan Snowmobilers Association.

Brewer’s group finds itself in the same company as landscaping businesses who’ve had little work clearing snow, and cross-country skiers whose trails haven’t been in ideal condition.

In the meantime, the lack of snow comes during a busy time of the year when people are celebrating the holidays, he said.

Anyone in south Saskatchewan still dreaming of a White Christmas might find themselves out of luck as warm weather and clear skies appear to be sticking around.

“It’s hard to say for sure if it will be a brown Christmas, as we’re still a week away, but leading up to it, it sure looks like that could be the case,” explained Justin Shaer, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

He said most of southern Saskatchewan is looking at above zero temperatures for the entire work week leading up to the weekend. Normal temperatures for this time of year are around -10 C.

If the province does not see much snow over the holidays, Brewer expects snowmobilers to go where they can find some.

“A couple feet of snow on the ground, these temperatures could be a bit cooler, slightly below the freezing mark would be very nice,” he said.

“If we don’t see snow here, they’ll be travelling west into the mountains to fulfil their snowmobile need.”

Shaer noted the forecast does show a dip towards seasonal temperatures for the weekend and the week of Christmas before rebounding back before New Years.

The warmer weather is expected to return heading into the New Year.