Prairie spring: Southern Saskatchewan gets over a foot of snow

Mother Nature’s early spring snowstorm blanketed some parts of southern Saskatchewan yesterday with more than a foot of snow.

According to Environment Canada, its report released just before noon on Wednesday said about 30 to 38 centimetres of snow fell across several communities in southern Saskatchewan.

The winner for the biggest snowfall total in the province yesterday was Esterhazy, which recorded 38 centimetres or 15 inches of snow.

Kahkewistahaw First Nation, which is a 40-minute drive southeast of Esterhazy, had 35 centimetres of snow hit the ground, which is nearly 14 inches of snow.

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Wolsely and Whitewood recorded over 30 centimetres, while Glenavon and Wawota recorded exactly 30 centimetres of the white stuff, which is almost a foot of snow.

Grenfell had 25-30 centimetres worth of snow fly in its community, while Sintaluta got 26 centimetres of snow.

The least amount of snow recorded in the report yesterday was seen in Maryfield and Vibank. Maryfield got 16 centimetres or six inches of snow, while Vibank had 10 centimetres, which comes out to four inches of snow.

Environment Canada’s weather station in Broadview recorded 32 centimetres, just over a foot of snow, and Indian Head had 19 centimetres, which is 7.4 inches of snow.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued snowfall warnings in southeastern Saskatchewan around the Manitoba border on Monday, which covered the areas around Kenosee Lake, Moosomin, Melville, Yorkton and Preeceville.

The report did not specifically mention the snowfall totals for Kenosee Lake, Moosomin, Melville, Yorkton and Preeceville, but the storm did wreak havoc on the Trans Canada Highway.

The snowfall led Saskatchewan RCMP to respond to 12 collisions in the Carlyle, Wolsely and Broadview areas along Highway 1.

Two people reported injuries to police. from the collisions throughout the day. Some parts of Highway 1 had to be reduced to a single lane because of the conditions.

Regina was not included in the snowfall warning yesterday, but did receive a mix of rain and snow throughout the day, which mostly melted as it hit the ground.

Although the snow at this time of year is rare, Environment Canada meteorologist Danielle Desjardins said storms like this tend to happen from time to time.

“It’s not ideal timing, but it’s not unheard of,” Desjardins explained.

“April is one of the snowier months, and we do tend to get to stronger low-pressure systems in the shoulder season, so fall and spring.”