There is no doubt that winter is setting up residency in Saskatchewan.
The mild fall weather came to a screeching halt beginning late Monday afternoon with the first blizzard of the season arriving.
Lasting over a 24-hour span, the first winter storm of the season brought snow and was accompanied by heavy winds.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Danielle Desjardins confirmed the Humboldt area along with the Melfort region felt the brunt of the storm this week, receiving the most amount of snowfall in Saskatchewan.
“The reports that we have received are anywhere between 30-40cm of snow.”
Along with the snowfall, wind speeds caused havoc during the blizzard. Desjardins said around Humboldt, there were reports of wind speeds around 70 km/h. She added that the southeast corner of the province saw speeds reaching 80 km/h.
Desjardins noted with the high wind speeds, it was difficult to gather an accurate report of snowfall, with the drifts that were created.
In comparison, the City of Saskatoon received 10-15 cm of snow, while Regina saw 20 cm of snow.
The snow may be on pause for the next couple of days, Desjardins says that colder temperatures will remain for this week.
“We’re going to see a ridge of high pressure bring cooler air than what we’re used to the past few months.”
She noted the daytime highs will range from –8° to –13°.
Snow is also in the forecast for the weekend. It appears this time the Humboldt area won’t see the highest amount of snow this time, as Desjardins says much of the snowfall will occur in areas along the TransCanada Highway, possibly to north around the Yellowhead Highway.
If you haven’t done so already, Desjardins recommends winterizing your vehicle, because it appears that the winter weather is here to stay for a while in Saskatchewan