With temperatures expected to dip below freezing tonight, Environment and Climate Change Canada is urging caution for drivers in southeast Saskatchewan. Wet snow and rain will create icy road conditions overnight.
“Especially in the Southeast, because this is the last day that we’re going to see temperatures above 0, any precipitation that falls will fall as rain for this evening,” said Danielle Desjardins, a warning preparedness meteorologist. “As the temperatures cool overnight and we dip below the freezing level, the roads could become slippery because that rain will potentially freeze on the roads overnight.”
Desjardins emphasized the need for caution: “Roads could become pretty icy and slippery. Definitely take precautions when driving.”
She also noted the relatively late onset of winter weather this season, explaining that it aligns with larger climate patterns. “For this year, it’s just been kind of in line with what we’ve been seeing with having an El Niño summer, and then we’re flipping into a La Niña winter.”
“This delay in winter is almost partially caused by that. La Niña is set to settle in right around now and into December, and it could bring colder and snowier weather for this winter,” she added.
Desjardins also encouraged drivers to prepare their vehicles for winter: “Definitely bring an emergency preparedness kit and, if you don’t have your winter tires on, now is the time to do it.”