End of extreme cold leads to family fun outdoors

While Saskatchewan is expecting some turbulent winter weather — with snow and freezing rain in the forecast — that isn’t stopping some families from heading outside to have some fun.

The southeast corner of the province, as well as the areas around Regina, Moose Jaw and Outlook, were under either snowfall or freezing rain warnings Thursday.

But while that type of weather can make shovelling the driveway, heading out on the roads and many other things a lot harder, it’s still a long shot from the deep freeze the province faced through the holidays and for more than a week in January. The high temperature in both Regina and Saskatoon on Thursday was -5 C.

That has given families an opportunity to get active.

Nolan Knelson and his two sons, Evan and Landon, hit the rink at Glen Elm Park on Thursday afternoon.

Wearing matching Edmonton Oilers jerseys, the boys skated, played some shinny, and learned some moves from their dad.

It was definitely a welcome break for them.

When asked what it’s like to be cooped up in -40 C weather, Landon summed it up in a couple of short words.

“Very boring,” he said.

It’s a relief for their dad, too.

“They need to get out (and) burn some energy so they’re not yelling at each other. Maybe I shouldn’t say that,” Nolan said with a laugh.

Unfortunately, the boys are learning remotely due to COVID cases at their school.

On the bright side, that’s why they were able to go skating in the middle of a weekday.

“We’re doing school at home for the week, and this is phys-ed, going out (and) having a bit of a skate,” Nolan said.

Rink weather should stick around for a while. Environment Canada is forecasting highs hovering around the 0 C mark for Friday and the weekend.