Winter – d559

Late-season snowfall hitting southern Sask., up to 15 cm expected in some areas

Abby Zieverink — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:39:03 +0000

It may be the second week of spring, but snow is falling in parts of Saskatchewan as another blast of winter weather hits the province.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the late-season snowfall, warning that as much as 15 centimetres could fall in some parts of southern Saskatchewan by Tuesday morning. The heaviest snowfall is expected to hit an area stretching from Kindersley and Leader east through Regina and Moose Jaw and southeast through Estevan, Kindersley and Moosomin to the Manitoba border.

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Large parts of southern Saskatchewan were covered by a special weather statement from Environment Canada on Monday, with as much as 15 centimetres of snow expected to hit some areas. (Environment Canada)

Saskatoon isn’t expected to get nearly as much snow, with just two to four centimetres expected to hit the city by Tuesday morning.

Meteorologist Rose Carlsen said while it is a little late in the season to be getting so much snow, a snowstorm in the last week of March isn’t unheard of.

“I know a lot of people are looking forward to it being done,” said Meteorologist Rose Carlsen.

“This time of year, it’s certainly not something that we’re hoping for or looking for with this kind of snowfall,” she added.

Despite the warning issued by Environment Canada, Carlsen said it’s not yet exactly clear where the heaviest snow will fall. She said predicting the system’s path is “a little bit less cut-and-dry” than it would be if the storm had hit in the middle of winter because of factors like warmth in the lower atmosphere and the stronger angle of the sun.

“It could be a little bit farther north, a little bit farther south. We can kind of get that uncertainty sometimes with these off-season events,” the meteorologist explained.

Carlsen said highway conditions could deteriorate through the day on Monday as the storm makes its way through the province.

“It’s still important to make sure that you’re taking care when you’re traveling anytime there’s snow on the roads,” she said.

While Carlsen said the heavier snow should start to taper off on Monday evening, lighter snowfall is expected to continue overnight in some areas. But, Carlsen added, the snow shouldn’t stick around for too long after it hits the ground.

“It’ll probably melt away pretty quickly. Our highs are still going to be lingering around 0 C, a little bit above, a little bit below,” Carlsen said.

The latest updates on the weather alert can be found on Environment Canada’s website, and current information on road conditions can be found on the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline.

Spring snowstorm set to sweep through central Saskatchewan on Wednesday

Abby Zieverink — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 01:11:08 +0000

A large part of central Saskatchewan could get hit with heavy snow this week.

Environment Canada issued a special weather statement on Tuesday, covering an area stretching from the Alberta border to the Manitoba border, including in Saskatoon, Prince Albert, the Battlefords, Yorkton, Melfort, Meadow Lake and Hudson Bay, with heavy snow expected to begin overnight on Tuesday and throughout the day on Wednesday.

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Meteorologist Danielle Desjardins said 10-15 centimetres of snow could fall by Wednesday night.

“It’s going to be a lot of snow in a short period of time,” said Desjardins.

“It’s not really a surprising situation, but of course when you get this late into March, people are pretty anxious to get over winter and get on with the spring, so it can be frustrating.”

Regina is just south of the area where the heavy snow is expected to fall, but Desjardins said the Queen City could see a mix of precipitation, with rain, freezing rain and even snow possible.

“It seems like winter is hanging on, but we just have to get through this event and the next day or two afterwards, and we’re back to above-freezing temperatures heading into the weekend and through the weekend,” the meteorologist said.

Desjardins said the heaviest snow is expected to fall around Meadow Lake, North Battleford, areas southeast of Prince Albert, and around Humboldt.

She said the wind could get a bit gusty when the snow hits, potentially causing blowing snow and interfering with visibility on the roads and highways.

“You could see some greatly reduced visibility at times, not just because the wind will be blowing around, but because the snow will be falling at a pretty fast rate,” Desjardins said.

Environment Canada advised drivers to consider postponing travel plans in order to avoid the worst of the storm.

But while the snow may be heavy on Wednesday, Desjardins said she doesn’t expect it to stick around for long.

“We’re going to see a mini cold snap post system Thursday, looking at highs below 0 C. But heading into the weekend, we get back into the warm air,” she said.

But while warmer weather is just around the corner, Desjardins said this might not be the the last dump of snow the province sees before spring begins in earnest.

“Can’t say ‘no more snow’ at this point. It’s still pretty early, but for the next week or so we’re getting back into those warm temperatures, so it will definitely feel spring like,” she said.

By Sunday, Regina is expected to reach 10 C, while Saskatoon is set to get to a high of 6 C.

The latest updates on the weather alert can be found on Environment Canada’s website, and current road conditions can be accessed via the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline.

City of Saskatoon battening down hatches

In Saskatoon, the city said its crews are ready to respond to the special weather statement issued for Saskatoon.

The large volume of snow forecasted can “quickly create challenging driving conditions, including slippery sections on high-traffic routes,” the city said in a release on Tuesday afternoon.

Plows and graders will be ready to clear snow if it accumulates on priority routes. Sanding trucks will mange icy sections.

If more than five centimetres of snow falls, the city will declare a snow event and residents can follow the city’s progress with snow grading online. Saskatoon Transit will adjust service as needed, though service may be interrupted or delayed by collisions, blown-in streets and inaccessible bus stops due to snowfall and drifts.

After the snow has fallen, crews will be ready to clear city facility sidewalks, park pathways with lighting, overpass walkways and the Meewasin Trail.

Those on the road are asked to watch for blue and amber flashing rights on road maintenance equipment. The city is asking motorists to give city crew operators the room needed to safely work.

Reports about driving concerns over snow accumulation or rutting and concerns over snow piles, city sidewalks or other snow clearing issues can be shared with the city online.

Warm spring-like weather expected across southern Saskatchewan

Jacob Bamhour — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 18:20:03 +0000

After a long stretch of winter weather, Southern Saskatchewan could be in for a taste of spring this week.

Environment Canada meteorologist Dave Carlson said a strong push of warm air from the Pacific Ocean is expected to move into the southern half of the province beginning Tuesday, bringing temperatures well above seasonal averages.

“It looks like by about Tuesday we’re going to start seeing some fairly mild air poke into at least the southern half of the province,” Carlson said.

“There’s a fairly strong push off the Pacific Ocean happening, and so all that mild air is going to make it into southern Saskatchewan.”

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Carlson said the warm air mass could push temperatures into the low 20s in some areas by mid-to-late week, something far from typical for mid-March.

“I’m looking at some temperatures, especially near the international border, that could reach into the low 20s mid to late in the week; 21,22 degrees for a couple of days,” he said.

The warmer air isn’t expected to blanket the entire province, but it should extend across a large portion of the grain belt.

“The warmth should be about up to the Yellowhead Highway and South,” Carlson explained. “So the Battlefords, Saskatoon to Yorkton and the area south of those locations.”

For perspective, Carlson noted that typical mid-march temperatures in the province are far cooler.

“The average high this time of year is around zero in Regina,” he said. “It’s plus four in the southwest part of the province, and once you get up to the Yellowhead again, it’s about zero.”

Nighttime temperatures typically drop well below freezing.

“Our normal low temperature time of year is around minus 10,” Carlson added.

Despite the warm spell, Carlson warned that winter isn’t finished yet.

“This isn’t going to be it, and we’re suddenly into spring and then summer,” he said. “It is still March.”

Long-range forecast still shows a few systems moving through Saskatchewan before the end of the month, bringing a small amount of snow to parts of the province.

“A few centimetres here and there,” Carlson said. “But another warm-up above freezing to melt the snow.”

Carlson said while conditions may fluctuate, the overall outlook doesn’t suggest any more major cold snaps for the province.

“I don’t see anything really cold in the long term,” he said. “It looks like a pretty decent warm-up is on the way.”

For now, Carlson said the coming week will likely offer Saskatchewanians a brief reminder that spring isn’t too far away, even if winter still has a few appearances left.

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Frost Festival opens to warm weather in Regina

Jacob Bamhour — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:46:46 +0000

Frost Festival’s first weekend was long on crowds, but short on cold.

Instead of the bitter temperatures typical for February, warm sunshine and melting snow set the tone, sending Regina families onto the sledding hill and keeping people lingering longer than usual. The unseasonable conditions changed how the festival felt, but not the reasons why people showed up.

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For Terrence Littletent, a hoop dancer with the Kawacatoose Boys, the weather made it easier to be outside and share traditional Indigenous culture. Littletent said the group has been part of the festival since its first year.

“We were asked to come out here and perform First Nation dance because the area that we’re in right now is Treaty 4 territory,” Littletent said.

Hoop dancer Terrence Littletent, of the Kawakatus Boys singers and dancers, said warmer weather made it easier to perform outdoors and share Indigenous culture on Treaty 4 territory. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)

Littletent said the group accepted the invitation again this year, bringing family members and performing what he described as a family-oriented dance program focused on storytelling through movement.

“We took the invitation to come and perform some dances to the public and to share our culture,” he said. “What we have out here is all these different stories through dance narration to share a culture in a humble, respectful way to our Indigenous and non-native people who come and observe and learn.”

Warm weather is not something powwow dancers usually count on in February.

“If it was like -36 C, then we wouldn’t dance,” he said, explaining that the weather in the festival’s previous years sometimes forced performances indoors.

Unseasonably warm temperatures created slushy and icy walking conditions during Frost Festival’s opening weekend in Regina, forcing organizers to post caution signs along pedestrian pathways. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)

“We enjoy dancing wherever we can.”

This year’s conditions came with some concerns, as melting snow left wet and icy patches, creating a challenge for the dancers.

“The ground is a little bit slushy and wet, and I was really worried about our dancers dancing on a wet surface and the ice,” Littletent said. “But again, we just enjoy dancing. You give us a venue, we’ll dance anywhere.”

For attendees like Riley Smith, the warm weather completely changed the experience. Smith said her niece, Paisley, was sledding comfortably, something that wouldn’t have happened during previous Frost Festivals.

Smith said this was her second year attending the festival.

“The last time it was -40 C,” she said.

Asked which she preferred, Smith laughed and didn’t hesitate.

“Definitely this,” Smith said. “It’s a little slushy out, but it’s so nice. The sun is up. No one needs to wear a jacket.”

Frost Festival volunteer Wayne Toker poses with another volunteer at the grounds during the event’s first weekend, as mild weather made conditions easier for both workers and visitors. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)

Volunteers noticed the difference, too. Wayne Toker said the mild temperatures made the festival more inviting, even if it complicated some of the winter activities.

“We’ll take the nice weather with the bad weather,” Toker said. “We always seem to make do with what we got.”

He said warmer temperatures are easier on city budgets, but harder on traditional winter recreation.

“It’s good for the snow-removal budget,” he said. “But it’s not so good for winter activities like snowmobiling and cross-country skiing.”

Still, Toker said the pleasant atmosphere made the tradeoff worthwhile.

“Just seeing all the kids with smiles, that’s what it’s about,” he said, adding that volunteers are what keep events like Frost running.

“Without people who volunteer, it probably wouldn’t go very far,” he said.

And while the festival’s first weekend didn’t exactly feel like winter, Toker said no one was declaring the season over just yet.

“It’ll snow still. It’ll get cold,” he said. “It’ll be winter.”

The festival will continue to hold events over the next two weekends.

Warm spell hits Saskatchewan, but winter isn’t over: Environment Canada

Jacob Bamhour — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:56:55 +0000

Saskatchewan’s winter cold has loosened its grip as temperatures climb toward the freezing mark, but experts warn that the mild stretch doesn’t mean the season is over – and the slush, fog, and freeze-thaw cycle could make conditions more dangerous, not less.

“Here are three winter weeks that didn’t happen this year,” said David Phillips, a senior climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, as he spoke on 980 CJME and 650 CKOM’s The Evan Bray Show. “The cold will return. But I say the cool will return, but not the cold.”

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Phillips said the province had already experienced a notable break in January, followed by another longer stretch of mild Pacific air replacing the harsher Arctic pattern many people associate with mid winter.

“It may be false spring, but it has to be delightful to people,” he said. “There were five or six days where temperatures in Battleford got up to six, and Regina up four, and Saskatoon about five.”

Phillips said the mild spell could persist into mid February.

“This one’s longer, maybe almost a week and a half, two weeks,” he said. “I don’t see it ending until perhaps Valentine’s Day.”

While Phillips acknowledged winter weather would return, he said he expected less sustained, punishing cold than Saskatchewan residents often brace for.

“One thing about when you get winter coming back, and surely it will, it could be two days, not two weeks,” he said. “We still have cold weather in this country, but we’re going to see less cold, less extreme cold.”

The warmth, Phillips added, also came with a more immediate problem: when temperatures hover near zero, conditions can shift quickly and sometimes turn ugly.

“When you get that temperature near the freezing mark, a lot of things can happen,” he said. “It’s not necessarily a good thing. You get a little bit of melting, but then you get that fog, and you can get that freezing that ice on the surfaces.”

Host Brent Loucks described exactly that kind of mixed-bag drive across the Prairies, telling Phillips he had travelled from Brandon, Man., through Regina and up to Saskatoon and had seen rapid changes along the way.

“I think I saw just about every type of weather,” Loucks said. “I had thick fog, near-zero visibility and blowing snow, and then beautiful sunshine and warmer temperatures.”

Loucks also pointed to recent freezing rain and rough travel conditions, saying, “It was terrible last week with the freezing rain we had,” and adding that highway conditions “were just horrible this last Saturday.”

Phillips said that variability, not just raw temperature, was one of the biggest changes people notice when comparing winters now to those they remember.

“That’s really what the difference is, what old timers say about what the winters were like and what they say now,” Phillips said.

He pointed to a “parade” of fast-moving systems earlier in the season, the kind that can bring quick hits of snow and wind, followed by sharp temperature swings.

“We saw this year a lot of Alberta Clippers,” he said. “They came in very quickly, windy events, a shot of snow and then the cold air behind them.”

Phillips said those systems seemed to arrive more frequently than in some winters, “instead of maybe one a week,” sometimes coming “every two or three days.”

Even with the mild air in play, Phillips stressed Saskatchewan still had plenty of winter left to deliver snow and he said the calendar backed that up.

“In February, on average, February and then March, April, May, you get about 35 to 40 per cent of your annual snowfall,” he said. “So you still got some shovelling, plowing and pushing to do.”

Phillips said the province was also at a point in the season when the sunlight itself starts to feel different, not warm like spring, but noticeable enough.

“We’re well beyond the halfway point of winter,” he said. “The days are getting longer, the angle of the sun, you can actually feel the warmth on your skin in February, not in January, but in February.”

Still, Phillips said Saskatchewan needed more moisture, especially in the southwest.

“We need some more precipitation, particularly in the southwestern part of the province,” he said. “That will certainly come, probably with the snow and the rain.”

And while rain in early February might sound out of place, Phillips said the mix of precipitation types was part of what made this pattern stand out.

“My gosh, to talk about rain on February the fifth,” he said. “We even have a warning out for freezing rain up in the northwest part of the province.”

Loucks asked Phillips if this kind of winter, bouncing between melting, freezing and blowing snow, was becoming the norm.

Phillips said Canada was “a warmer country now” and that “winters aren’t what they used to be,” but he also cautioned against assuming cold weather was disappearing completely.

“We still have to worry about the other end of the thermometer,” he said. “We still have cold weather in this country.”

For now, Phillips said the mild stretch was a break and for many, a welcome one, but he framed it as a shift in how winter behaves, not a cancellation of winter itself.

“It helps to break up the duration of the cold that we sometimes expect,” he said.

Regina restoration, roofing companies busy as snow melts during mid-winter thaw

Abby Zieverink — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 19:33:33 +0000

Homeowners are dealing with basement seepage, ice dams on roofs and cracked pipes as parts of Saskatchewan see above-freezing temperatures in the middle of winter.

Mike Payne, a project manager with Restorex Disaster Restoration, said the freeze-thaw cycle is causing issues in Regina basements.

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“What we’re seeing this year is kind of a perfect storm,” Payne said during an appearance on The Greg Morgan Morning Show on 980 CJME.

“We’re getting a quick melt, and everybody has a ton of snow against their foundations. With that quick melt, we’re going to see this water running and, unfortunately, where the water runs is typically into your basement.”

He said his company has been dealing with many calls about basement seepage over the past few days, and expects the trend will continue for the next couple of weeks.

Payne explained that water can get into basements through window wells if there is a lot of snow, but moisture most commonly get inside through the foundations of the home.

“The water just runs along the outside of your foundation. It finds the way in, and then you’ll have the slowly seeping issues of it coming into your basement,” he said.

Payne said homeowners can see the early warning signs of a water issue in your home by keeping a close eye on their baseboards and flooring.

“If you start feeling water, obviously you’re having a seepage issue. If, on your baseboards, you can really start seeing some staining occurring, or they start swelling because they absorb the water. Those are your first indicators of when you might see a water issue in your home,” he said.

Payne said mold can start growing within 24 to 48 hours after water starts to enter a home.

“You will see that happening fast,” said Payne.

“If you pop your baseboards off, it’ll kind of look like freckles behind your baseboards.”

He said there are a few things homeowners can do to prevent water seepage in their basements, including shoveling snow away from the foundation of the home, ensure sump pumps are working and that there is good egress to get water out of the basement through the sump.

Ice dams on roofs

Henry Greenberg, owner of Guardian Roofing & Exteriors, said ice damming happens on everyone’s roof at least once due to the climate in Saskatchewan. With the current freeze-thaw cycle, he said his company has been getting plenty of calls.

“You’re going to start seeing a nice big pile of snow-covered ice at your eaves edge, and it’s going to start at the bottom foot and it’s going to work its way up,” he explained.

Greenberg said that means water is coming into the cold eaves after moving across the attic, and starts to freeze again.

“That freezing starts in the eaves and then it starts to work its way underneath the shingles, and as the ice damming gets bigger and as it gets worse, those shingles are going to start to lift,” he said. “They’re going to start to peel back and they’re going to start to crack.”

He said there are consequences for those who neglect recurring ice dams over the long term.

“You could rot out your roof deck,” he said. “Mold could start growing inside of your attic space. You could have damaged drywall, damaged ceiling, damaged paint. The exterior walls of your house could start experiencing some wood rot. You can experience damaged shingles. A plethora of things could happen on the interior, just based on some water infiltration.”

Greenberg said it’s important to clear out downspouts before winter hits, and if too much snow builds up on the roof, he advised calling an expert.

Cracked pipes

Rob Benoit, with Cameo Restoration, said the company is expecting an influx of calls relating to flooding and cracked pipes because of the above-freezing temperatures in the middle of winter.

“Whenever we get these swings, if there’s a pipe issue, this is when it occurs,” he said.

Benoit said when pipes freeze outside, it doesn’t typically become an issue until it warms up.

“When a pipe is frozen, like a water line to the exterior in a vestibule at a public building, it’s not going to do anything,” he said. “However, when it starts to warm up the ice expands, splits, and that’s what causes the water damage.”

He said a lot of homeowners will likely discover issues with pipes as the temperatures rise above freesing.

“With regards to a broken pipe, you’re not going to find out you have one until the ice melts, or until it actually melts and splits,” Benoit said.

Benoit said there are a few things homeowners can check to determine if they have a cracked pipe.

“Take a good look. Maybe your outside water line, you thought you’d shut off but it was left on a crack,” he said. “Take a really good look around your utility room. See if there’s any pipes sweating really badly. That’s going to be an indicator as well.”

Benoit encouraged homeowners to keep an eye on their utility rooms and check to ensure their sump pumps are working.

Regina crews busy as temperatures warm

A quick transition from cold winter weather to an early February thaw means a pivot and new priorities for the City of Regina’s road crews.

“As part of any winter season, we experience many different conditions,” explained Chris Warren, Regina’s director of roadways and transportation.

City of Regina crews work to remove snow on Saskatchewan Drive. (Geoff Smith/980 CJME)

“You think back to the weekend. We had cold, freezing rain and high winds, and with the warming temperatures we’ve had to switch gears and adjust our strategies a little bit.”

He said workers are busy plowing roads, opening up catch basins and storm drains in areas where water is pooling, and doing “a little bit of snow removal and snow plowing” on roads and sidewalks.

Warren said the city appreciates when residents contribute to the efforts by clearing blocked catch basins in their neighbourhoods, or alerting the city about the issue.

He said city crews are also working on snow piles that have begun to slump onto roadways as they melt, adding that they try to schedule the work outside of busy traffic hours.

“We do have crews scheduled, both night and days, seven days a week, throughout the entire winter,” he said.

“We definitely try to get a lot of that work done on the night shift, but we also recognize that there are some periods of time during the day, during those non peak times, that we can do some of this work as well.”

–with files from 980 CJME’s Geoff Smith

FROST returns, ready to handle warm February weather

Jacob Bamhour — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 12:12:46 +0000

FROST Regina is back this month – even as warmer temperatures raise questions about how frosty things will actually feel.

The event stretches across three February weekends and filling multiple corners of the city with winter programming.

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Organizers say the festival is intentionally designed to adapt, after learning from past years that Regina winter temperatures rarely land in the middle.

“We’ve seen this movie before, and FROST is either plus temperatures or minus 40 and blizzarding,” said Jennifer Johnson, deputy city manager of communications, Service Regina & Tourism with the City of Regina. “So we have weather-proofed the festival this year. We have a combination of indoor and outdoor activities at almost every single location.”

Johnson says feedback from last year showed people wanted more time to take in the festival, which led to the decision to spread FROST across three weekends instead of one.

“This time you don’t have to feel rushed. You don’t have to cram it all into one weekend,” Johnson said. “We’re actually hoping you make three or four days of it.”

Programming runs across downtown Regina, Wascana Centre, the Warehouse District and the REAL District, with a mix of free and ticketed events each weekend.

At the REAL District, organizers are closely watching ice-based attractions as temperatures fluctuate.

“Probably the biggest concern for us right now would be our Crokicurl rink,” said Cat Betker, director of signature events with REAL. “Unfortunately, this weather isn’t ideal for making ice. If the ice won’t freeze, you can’t play Crokicurl.”

Betker says the festival is built so that the weather doesn’t shut things down entirely.

“We were really intentional in designing our programming to try and pick things that we could weather-proof as much as possible,” she said. “Even if we don’t have a frozen pond to play Crokicurl on, we still have street hockey, indoor curling, the mechanical snowboard and a massive snow hill for kids.”

Johnson echoes that flexibility, saying something is happening every weekend regardless of conditions.

“You will for sure find something you can do,” she said.

New additions this year include a frost-themed brunch at the Connexus Arts Centre, expanded indoor options downtown, such as Globe Theatre programming, and family-focused activities that give people places to warm up without leaving the festival.

“There’s a lot that’s free to take in,” Johnson said, noting tickets are required for select events, including shows at the Globe Theatre, the Connexus brunch and activities at the REAL District.

The REAL District also doubles as a gathering place for Olympic viewing, with big screens set up alongside indoor warm-up spaces and outdoor activities.

“There’s going to be hours worth of entertainment there,” Johnson said. “You can be outside having fun with the kids, then pull up a chair and watch the Olympics for a bit.”

Both Johnson and Betker say the three-weekend format lets people explore the festival in stages downtown one weekend, Wascana Centre the next and the REAL District after that.

“People always say there’s nothing to do in Regina,” Johnson said. “Well, you can’t say that with FROST going on.”

FROST Regina runs the first three weekends through February, with organizers encouraging residents to check schedules in advance and stay flexible as weather conditions evolve.

Mild weather stalls snowmobiling season in Saskatchewan

Gillian Massie — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:02:57 +0000

Travis Moore knows what its like to face a dry spell as a farmer.

However, he isn’t pleased to see the “snow drought” conditions cutting into his snowmobiling season.

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“We’re kind of we’re hoping maybe it was going to be better,” Moore said. “But as of yet, it doesn’t appear so.”

Moore helps groom the trails with the Last Mountain Lake Drifters snowmobiling club near Lumsden, but his time shaping the paths has been sparse so far this year.

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Moore said the trails north of Regina Beach had enough snow to be groomed, but it was still thin. (Travis Moore/Submitted)

Milder conditions and harsh winds are causing snow drifts to crust into icy patches.

Not enough snow has fallen to replace what the warmer temperatures have melted away.

“We’re starting from square one now,” Moore said.

It can take days for Moore to groom the 220 kilometres of trails, but the club hasn’t been able to open any of its trails south of Regina Beach so far this year.

Moore said he has groomed the trails on the north side of the beach, but there isn’t the eight to 10 inches of fluffy powder he’s hoping to work with.

Some of the snowmobile trails at Last Mountain Lake are becoming gravelly in the warmth. (Travis Moore/Submitted)

When the weather won’t co-operate, Moore said it’s discouraging for everyone who volunteers to maintain the trails.

“You don’t even want to go out,” he said. “It’s just ice and hard, rough snow, and it’s not really that fun when it’s when it’s really poor conditions.”

Moore said thinner snow and icy patches can cause damage or the skis of the machine or cause it to overheat.

Moore said it feels like the been in a “snow drought” this year. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)

He’s been able to take his kids out for a snowmobile ride around his farmyard in the meantime.

“You can still go out and have a little bit of fun with the snow we have, but it’s still not the same,” Moore said.

Freezing rain and milder temperatures both play a factor in creating crunchy trails.

Environment Canada said Regina and Saskatoon and its surrounding areas have recorded average precipitation levels in the winter months so far.

Meteorologist Danielle Desjardins said that includes snow and freezing rain events so far.

“It doesn’t stand out as a like a particularly dry winter,” she said. “I think the bigger thing here has been the temperature swings and the melt.”

Desjardins said the freezing rain is uncommon, but not unprecedented.

She said strong wind has also played a factor in polishing down snow drifts.

“The snow that we have gotten has blown around quite a bit, that’s left some areas pretty barren.”

Leah Switzer, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association, said other sledding clubs have had a challenging season based on their location.

“It’s honestly been hit and miss, just based on what the weather has done,” she said. “We did get the good snow right off the hop, but we didn’t get cold temperatures at the beginning.”

Switzer said clubs across the province saw issues with slushy lakes due to on-and-off winter warm ups.

Other areas, particularly in southern Saskatchewan, were hit with freezing rain that crusted over trails.

“We have other clubs that, in those high winds, they have large drifts they have to now work on knocking down,” Switzer said. “That understanding there’s always reasons why some of those trails are closed and the clubs are always working hard to get them open.”

Winter warm up making perfect snow carving conditions for sculptor

Gillian Massie — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 22:51:21 +0000

The wet and sticky snow is making white gold for a Regina winter chiseller.

Artist Bron Nurkowski said temperatures around zero create the best conditions to carve wintry designs out of the snow.

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“This is perfect,” he said. “It sure beats the -25 that I made the other sculpture in.

“These are amazing temperatures to play in.”

Nurkowski created an six-foot-tall smiling Santa signing the American Sign Language symbol for “I love you” to raise money for the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentorship group.

Nurkowski said each larger display takes 20 hours to complete. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)

He said the milder temperatures are the perfect opportunity for people to try make their own carvings.

“If you make a mistake by carving, you get some more wet snow and you patch it all up,” he said. “Snow is an amazing medium to work with in terms of carving and patching.”

Nurkowski said it’s best to start each carving with a good foundation.

He uses a makeshift plywood box to create his large design, but has used five-gallon pails for smaller designs.

The wet and sticky snow packs down into containers better, he said, and make them easier to chisel away at.

Nurkowski uses a machete to whittle down his snow block, but said the tool could be swapped out for spatulas for kids.

Nurkowski has previously taught kids snow carving classes. (Bron Nurkowski/Submitted)

“The thing to a best sculpture is imagination and patience,” he said. “Never give up.”

Nurkowski said he is hoping to carve a gnome by the end of this year.

‘Rare’ rainbow in Regina

This isn’t something you see during the dead of winter: a rainbow.

Thanks to some mild temperatures and rain, a rainbow was spotted in downtown Regina Monday afternoon.

A rainbow spotted in Regina’s downtown on Jan. 12, 2026, following a day of mild weather and rain. (980 CJME file photo)

Danielle Desjardins, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said this is a rare sight.

“Typically, the droplets in the sky are actually frozen, especially when it’s much, much colder in the winter. So you’re much more likely to see the sun dogs … Rainbows require liquid water, so it’s very rare, but not surprising, given how mild the temperatures have been,” she said.

While a rainbow in January, surrounded by snow, might come as a surprise to some, all it takes is a little bit of rain and some sunshine.

“When you have those water droplets ahead of you, and the sun is behind you, that sunlight is going to reflect and refract the light on those liquid water droplets and that’s what creates the rainbow,” Desjardins explained.

And with more mild temperatures in the forecast, there’s a possibility for more rainbows.

“There’s not a zero chance, but we’ll just have to keep an eye on the sky before we see the cool down later this week,” she said.

Record-high temperatures were recorded in at least 12 communities across Saskatchewan during the wave of warm weather.

The warmest area on Monday was the southwest corner of Saskatchewan, where Maple Creek got up to 12 C and Cypress Hills Provincial Park hit 10.6 C, which set a new record.

Sun dogs appear most vividly when the sun is low, near sunrise or sunset and when temperatures are extremely low. (980 CJME file photo)

Not a sun dog

While a sun dog and a rainbow both require sunlight and might look similar, Desjardins said they are different.

“Sun dogs appear around the sun itself,” she said.

“It’s the same refraction of the light… But it’s slightly different in the sense that it’s refracting the light off of those ice crystals, instead of the water droplets, and it appears as a halo around the sun.”

Sun dogs typically occur under very cold temperatures.

— with files from 980 CJME’s Nicole Garn and 650 CKOM’s Marija Robinson

Winter sports enthusiasts encouraged to use caution on the ice as weather warms

CJME News — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 15:00:36 +0000

With warm weather across Saskatchewan, people might be gearing up to enjoy their favourite outdoor activities, but organizations are reminding people to make sure safety is a top priority.

As the mercury rises, snow and ice start to melt, making ice fishing or snowmobiling unsafe in parts of the province.

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Leah Switzer is the executive director of the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association (SSA). She said a lot of the group’s clubs throughout the province are seeing poor ice conditions, especially in the north or areas that got a high amount of snow after the cold snap in December.

“That snow really insulated the ice, and it’s preventing it from creating a good thickness,” she said.

“They’re seeing a lot of slush conditions, which is scary and dangerous.”

The SSA encourages snowmobilers to use their interactive map that shows all the trails throughout the province and their status.

She said the North Battleford, Meadow Lake, Christopher Lake and Candle Lake areas are all reporting thin ice with slushy conditions.

When areas experience poor conditions, the trails close.

When it comes to snowmobiling, Switzer said six to eight inches is ideal for a snowmobile.

“But goes a lot heavier when our grooming equipment needs to go on it,” she explained.

“So we’re needing, like, a minimum of 20 inches of ice to put those big groomers on it and groom that trail for you.”

Listen to Switzer on the Greg Morgan Morning Show:

Ice shacks remain on the lake

Brad Zerr is the owner of Hooked Up Angling at Regina Beach, which offers rentals for fishing equipment and ice shacks.

It also offers an overnight “ice castle,” where people can camp on the ice.

Hooked Up Angling at Last Mountain lake offer fishing rentals during the winter and summer months. It also offers an “Ice Castle” rental where people can camp on the ice overnight. (Hooked Up Angling Facebook)

He said conditions at Last Mountain Lake aren’t a concern to ice fishers right now.

“The warmer weather with the snow blanket doesn’t really affect the ice or the ice conditions that much,” he explained. “It just slows the amount of ice that it’s making.”

Despite a mild November, Zerr said it hasn’t impacted his business.

“This is a typical year,” he said, noting that they usually have the shacks out on the ice around December 15.

A handful of children took part in a snowmobile safety course in Canora in 2024. (Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association website)

Snowmobile safety week kicks off in Saskatchewan

Snowmobile Safety Week runs Sunday through Jan. 17 across Saskatchewan, and the SSA is reminding riders to put safety first on the trails.

Switzer said safety is one of the association’s biggest initiatives.

One of the group’s safety initiatives is a snowmobile safety course, which is required for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1989, even if they have a valid driver’s licence.

It offers both online and in-person classroom opportunities across the province.

Switzer shares a few simple, but important tips for drivers gearing up for another season of snowmobiling.

“Know your conditions, know where you’re going, make sure that you let someone know where you’re heading out, never ride alone and also never ride impaired,” she said.

She also reminds people that drivers must register their snowmobiles, which costs $150.

Read more: