The end is ….
The month of March saw the highest snowfall for Saskatchewan, more than the rest of the winter. Last week’s storm brought in so much, when Highways were cleared it was almost like driving through a tunnel thanks to the height of the snow pushed to the sides of the road, much like this on Highway 45 north to Delisle. (photo by Derek Ruttle, front page of the March 28 issue of the Outlook weekly newspaper)
Are we at the end? Is there light at the end of the tunnel? I’d like to say yes, I really would, because as I write this, the temperature sits at a balmy -3 Celsius. I say balmy, because that’s at least warmer than the -20s we’ve been having for the past couple of weeks.
What I worry about now is that as the snow melts, and the temperature rises, how much flooding we’ll have. Record snowfall amounts across the province (Regina with over 200 centimetres of snow) means there will be that much water that goes into the ground. It’s good to have snow because that means it’ll seep into the ground in spring which is good for moisture. Which means we’ll have a decent farming season. It also means a good deal will evaporate and later come down as rain. The worry now is flooding.
We’re normally a hot, dry province during the summer, and we don’t experience as much flooding as would be seen in Manitoba. But we’ll have to prepare for it now. Many have been getting their insurance ready for the inevitable, because there’s a fear a lot of basements are going to become ruined thanks to the snow. You have to remember, when snow melts it doesn’t just go into the ground and everything is fine. It drains into whatever area is accessible at the time, and basements are prime for that.
This also means for a while we’ll be up to our necks in mud.
The spring time weather and warmer temperatures, combined with the budding of the trees, that I like. The oncoming tidal wave that will hit thanks to the record snowfall amounts… let’s just say I’m glad I live in a second storey apartment.
When will it end?
Snow: This stuff is evil.
No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. ~Hal Borland
Really? It sure doesn’t feel like that lately. What with the piles of snow all over the place. I understand Regina has broken their 50 year old snow fall record, and Environment Canada says that we in Saskatchewan have had more snow in March than we have had all winter long. So much for that carrot that was dangled with a promise of plus temperatures, which would have meant melting snow. According to the forecast, today is supposed to be a high of -6 Celsius. Which I guess is fine considering it’s currently -15 Celsius. And it’s all the same for the rest of the week, though the seven day forecast is promising something closer to 0 early next week.
Still, I’m done, I am so done with winter, especially this one, not to say what I think about future winters. I cringe when I hear people talk about going snowmobiling. While they do that, I’d rather be some place warm, not looking at white stuff on the ground. I much prefer spring and summer, even autumn. I can do without the messiness of spring with all of the mud, but at least I have some reassurance that warm weather is coming.
It’s funny, because winter usually only lasts from about early to mid November until mid March. Usually. Sometimes we get an early snowfall in October, and then we have to plan costumes at Halloween that fit under snow suits. And quite often spring doesn’t actually get here until early April, which means that rubber boots have to be kept in storage because it’s too cold to wear them.
I do long for spring, I can’t wait until the trees start budding and the grass begins to grow. It’s my favourite time of year, because it’s a sign of hope. Hope that this cold will go away and the warmth of summer is not far behind. The lengthened days and ability to go outside without having to pack a small ruck sack in order to brave the elements. It’s not just the lengthened days, because the days are getting longer, the sun does get up earlier. But right now, when the sun gets up, it’s only a bitter reminder that there’s still a lot of snow on the ground.
I just wonder when it will all end, and hope that it’s very soon.
Done! So done with this!
We can’t have nice things
According to Environment Canada, the temperature is going to drop.
Like a stone.
Yesterday, as the past few days have been, we’ve had relatively warm days. But expect that to change now! Especially after yesterday’s sudden squall which dumped snow all over the place. What was once a sullen brown is now an off white, as the sidewalks, streets and front lawns are all covered in white stuff.
And here I thought we’d get away from all of that for a while. A look at the coming week tells a different story.
There’s a -31 in there. As a high! AS A HIGH! That’s lower than the normals for the period, which as can be seen is -21.
Just two months now, two months and the worry of the foreboding doom that is winter will finally be behind us. Though, the pessimist in me keeps saying “don’t hold your breath, we’ve had snow in June”. Thanks inner voice, thanks.
Speaking of Snow In June, here’s the Northern Pikes with the song that was the album title.
Let it snow, let it snow
Image via Wikipedia
For a while, it was looking like a brown Christmas. We had snow a while back, but thanks to the constant up and down temperatures, that went away quite fast. This past Sunday, however, that changed.
I woke up, went to get my coffee started and have an orange (because I spent Saturday feeling deathly ill and couldn’t stomach anything) and stopped to look out the window. It was hard not to. The sight of white covering everything was really quite odd. Not in the “what the hell is that” kind of way (I save that for May if it snows), but more like the “wow, is it ever bright out” kind of way.
Having the snow before Christmas is sort of the thing to have. I grew up always seeing snow, always having snow on the ground in December. But going away in March (as it should, because by then most of us are sick of it, except for those crazy snow mobile enthusiasts). It just wouldn’t be Christmas if the ground was bare. Which I’ve seen in the past.
Rosetown, looking down main street. In summer, not winter. Prairie Centre Credit Union building in the foreground. Image via Wikipedia
I think one of the strangest times was a little over ten years ago, when I lived in Rosetown. We had a good deal of snow and some odd weather patterns. We already had a white out early December, which made for an exciting time at work and a little harrowing. Christmas came and went, and then along came New Year with some incredibly warm weather. So warm, in fact, that the city of Swift Current and the town of Leader had a New Year’s Eve Golf tournament. I never heard about the results, but I did hear a lot of people went, mostly to say they went golfing in Saskatchewan on January 1st. The lead up to the New Year had been really warm, so the organization was fast, and grounds cleaning took a couple of days so things were ready. And, naturally, most everyone hoping that the temperature wouldn’t just plummet by the time of the tee off.
I’m not holding out much hope that this snow we have now will stick around. According to Environment Canada, we’re supposed to have a high of 5 Degrees Celsius (41 F). A temperature that warm, snow will melt. Won’t completely go away, but the rest of the week looks to be in the same range. Which is kind of odd for December.
Just hope January and February is kind.
Mother Nature Is Mean
This is only going to be a short little thing.
I just wanted to clarify that I hate winter. I hate snow and I think that mother nature really needs to get some chocolate and a bottle of Jack, shoot father time and speed up to spring.
Keep it real and rockin’
The snowed in fangirl.
<3
