Environment Canada’s David Phillips predicts cooler start to spring

It’s the time of year for rebirth and new beginnings, but Saskatchewan will have to wait a while longer for spring blossoms to appear.

While spring officially arrives Monday afternoon (3:24 p.m.) Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips told the Greg Morgan Morning Show that temperatures this week will barely crack the freezing mark.

“This big high ridge from the Arctic is still sitting over (Saskatchewan),” Phillips said. “(It’s) very broad, stretching from parts of the Pacific right through to Hudson Bay. It seems to dominate.

“I don’t think the atmosphere has got the message yet. We need to trigger the atmosphere to say, ‘Hey, no Arctic air. More Pacific air,’ and boy, the message hasn’t reached us.”

Average high temperatures for the middle of March in Saskatoon and Regina are around 2 C.

Phillips says people on the Prairies will have to be patient with spring so reluctant to arrive this year.

“It’s always a tug of war because winter wants to hang on and summer wants to get a foothold and this year my odds favour wintery conditions,” said Phillips.

Phillips did deliver some good news, though. He said while spring is getting off to a cooler start, there will be plenty of sunny days ahead, and his long-range models are showing a warmer summer.

Is your home ready for spring?

Now that spring has arrived, are homes in Saskatchewan prepared?

Mark Kindrachuk with On The Mark Homes shared his best tips for readying homes for the warmer weather with Mark Loshack on Monday’s CKOM Morning Show.

Kindrachuk explained that homeowners will want to clear snow at least six feet away from their foundations as a good rule of thumb.

He said it’s important to keep drainage in mind when doing that, to ensure snow doesn’t pile up and then melt right back towards the foundation.

Shovelling out window wells is also a springtime must to protect one of the weakest parts of the foundation, Kindrachuk said.

When homes aren’t well-graded and water does make its way back to a home, the fix can differ. Kindrachuk said it might depend whether someone has landscaping or grass pressed up against their foundation.

If landscaping, Kindrachuk recommended bringing in some extra clay-based material to use that doesn’t allow water to drain through it.

Kindrachuk encouraged people to hop on a ladder and check their eavestroughs as the weather warms.

“Definitely you want to try and get as much snow away from the bottom two feet of your roof as possible,” he said.

He suggested ensuring downspouts are down to allow drainage to flow, especially with constant warming and cooling throughout the spring.

Kindrachuk also urged caution when dealing with ice dams and clearing off shingles with a roof rake, encouraging people to contact a professional if someone isn’t quite sure of how to safely and carefully clear off their roof.