Saskatchewan sees record-breaking September frost

It seems that Saskatchewan experienced its first jolt of fall in 2018.

Though everyone has felt the chilly winds of change for a couple weeks, Environment Canada posted record-breaking or record-tying temperatures for much of the province Wednesday morning.

“The only people that escaped were the southwestern corner of the province,” Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang said.

She added that typical conditions this time of year are perfect for frost to start appearing.

“Somebody seemed to flip a switch,” Lang said. “(Saskatchewan) went from hot and smoky to kind of cool.”

“The temperature really cooled off quite a bit and you could feel that fall in the air.”

Saskatoon, Nipawin and Moose Jaw all broke Sept. 5 records — some were standing for over 100 years.

Prince Albert was the coldest place in the province with a low of -4 C early Wednesday morning. It still fell short of Prince Albert’s Sept. 5 record-low of -5.6 C.

“We had the high-pressure system move in — that was an arctic high,” said Lang. “It cleared out the cloud, the winds diminished, nights are getting longer and that’s a perfect recipe for frost.”

As for Thursday’s chances for frost, Lang said there’s only one area on her radar.

“The best chance of any frost, if there would be any, would be over that northeastern grain belt — the Parkland area.”

Nine communities broke records Wednesday, with Estevan tying a previous record.

Here’s a list of those records:

Estevan tied a record -1.7 C set in 1965.

Nipawin, at -3.5 C, broke a record of -2.3 C set in 1991.

Moose Jaw, at -2.8 C, broke a record of -2.2 C set all the way back in 1896.

Saskatoon’s -1.3 C broke a record of -1.1 C set in 1903.

Elbow, at -1.3 C, broke a record of -1.1 C set in 1965.

Lucky Lake’s -0.9 C broke a record of +1.1 C set in 1972.

Last Mountain Lake, at -2.9 C, broke a record of -0.1 C set in 1991.

Rockglen, at +2.6 C, broke a record of +3.3 C in 1975.