Natasha Wiebe

Extremely cold temperatures have dominated the forecast for the past week and have caused some interesting phenomena to occur in the atmosphere. Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist, Stephen Berg, says the cold is directly responsible for the appearance of sun dogs and light pillars in the sky. 

“They're usually seen in cold weather conditions, as we've been having for the last little while. It happens when sunlight scatters off of ice crystals. So, it's just the directional scattering of sunlight off of these ice crystals, largely high in the atmosphere.” 

When winter temperatures hit as hard as they have in the past few weeks, people rely on a dependable source of power to maintain their homes. Joel Cherry is a spokesperson for SaskPower, he assures their infrastructure is built to withstand extreme temperatures. 

When winter temperatures hit as hard as they have in the past few weeks, people rely on a dependable source of power to maintain their homes. Joel Cherry is a spokesperson for SaskPower, he assures their infrastructure is built to withstand extreme temperatures. 

With a cold snap hitting Southern Saskatchewan is bringing temperatures below minus 20 and windchills close to minus 40, people are having to find a balance between keeping their homes warm, and energy bills low.  

Jodi Woollam is a spokesperson for SaskEnergy. She provides some best practices to efficiently maintain the climate of a home. 

With a cold snap hitting much of Saskatchewan bringing temperatures approaching minus 30 and windchills past minus 40, people are having to find a balance between keeping their homes warm, and energy bills low.  

Jodi Woollam is a spokesperson for SaskEnergy. She provides some best practices to efficiently maintain the climate of a home. 

With a cold snap hitting the southeast bringing temperatures below minus 20 and windchills close to minus 40, people are having to find a balance between keeping their homes warm, and energy bills low.  

Jodi Woollam is a spokesperson for SaskEnergy. She provides some best practices to efficiently maintain the climate of a home. 

A cold snap has Weyburn seeing temperatures in the low minus 20s with windchills colder than minus 40. These conditions pose a variety of risks for anyone spending any amount of time outdoors. Doctor Stanley Enebeli is a medical health officer with the Saskatchewan Health Authority. He describes one of these risks as hypothermia.  

“Hypothermia can be identified by shivering, confusion, or even loss of muscular control.” 

This time of year is often associated with a decline in mental wellbeing. Lisa Hallberg is a manager with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) Mental Health and Addiction Services team. She explains the way people respond to seasonal mental health challenges depends on personal stressors and coping mechanisms.  

The winter months often come with uncertainty regarding road conditions and driving safety, a resource many drivers rely on is the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline. However, it isn’t always fully accurate. Dan Palmer with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways explains the hotline is updates based on reports by plow drivers and equipment operators on the move, and conditions change quickly.

The winter months often come with uncertainty regarding road conditions and driving safety, a resource many drivers rely on is the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline. However, it isn’t always fully accurate. Dan Palmer with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways explains the hotline is updates based on reports by plow drivers and equipment operators on the move, and conditions change quickly.