‘Atmospheric gifts’ running out as cold weather hits Saskatchewan

After a very mild fall, the frigid temperatures felt across Saskatchewan will now be “sticking around like an unwanted house guest that won’t leave.”

That’s according to David Phillips, a climatologist with Environment Canada. Phillips joked that he’d like to survey the weather as a historian to remember Saskatchewan’s “fabulous” fall, which was characterized by a very warm September and October.

“My gosh, you wondered if this was summer going on,” Phillips commented.

Colder temperatures started to creep into the province when November came and the daylight hours shortened, but those mostly went away towards the end of the month. This past weekend saw temperatures rise above freezing in some parts of Saskatchewan.

“You can take these little incursions of some arctic air, as long as it’s followed by some Pacific air,” Phillips quipped.

The climatologist said the periods of warm air are like “atmospheric gifts” to the province, but he warned that those gifts don’t last forever. This week, Phillips said he’s bringing fewer good tidings when looking at the weather outlook for Saskatchewan.

While Saskatchewan residents are largely used to snowfall — and it often means good news for farmers and ranchers — the cold coming with it could be cruel and unusual, Phillips said.

Phillips said the temperatures in his forecast are exceptionally cold for this kind of year. Typically, he said, early December temperatures should bring highs around -5 C, rather than the -17 to -21 C highs expected in the coming days.

“Weather wars” between the cold and warm air are happening, but the cold is winning for the foreseeable future, Phillips said.