Reversion.

This afternoon has been kind of a throwback here.  It was 15 degrees this morning, but by mid afternoon it was only 3.  It's been raining for a good while, and now that rain has been joined by snow.  So you'd be forgive thinking it was November if you were spending time outside/  On top of that tonight's expected low is minus -2.  I'm quite glad I had no reason to spend time outside this afternoon.

45 Degrees.

April began with mid winter temperatures around -20 C.  April ends with summer type weather, with the temperature currently 25 C.  There's even the chance of an evening thunderstorm.   A 45 degree difference in 30 days.

Nature's April Fools.

It's fair to say pretty much everyone in Saskatoon considers April 1 to be spring.  But you wouldn't know it by the weather today.  When I got up this morning it was around -20 C.  It snowed yesterday, and a bit more today.  So it looks like November here.  It's not supposed to get above freezing until Monday.  This is one April Fools trick I don't appreciate.

Oh That Weather.

We're on a bit of a ride temperature wise in Saskatoon.  Yesterday it was just below freezing.  Today's high is expected to be minus 22 Celsius.  Tomorrow the high is expected to be a much more bearable minus 10, and minus 4 for Friday.  And of course the coldest day so far of February is the day I have to spend a lot of time outdoors.  The timing of these cycles really needs to be adjusted.

White Christmas After All.

The ground in Saskatoon wasn't bare of snow.  But there were brown patches in places, and a lot of what was on the ground looked more like spring melt snow than winter snow.  That changed over night, so if you wished for a white Christmas things are probably more to your liking now.  Just don't complain about the snow you're going to shovel.

I hope you're having a nice Christmas day, even if all it is for you is a day off.

The White Stuff.

Snow is back  in Saskatoon.  Not a huge amount yet, and a lot of it is actually water at this point because it's around freezing and there's still ground heat.  But it's a sign of things to come.  So take it a bit easy this morning as you drive.

Soak.

This April in Saskatchewan was probably the driest on record, with virtually no precipitation.  May wasn't that much better.  But we're finally getting significant rain here, at least in the Saskatoon region.  We're expecting showers or a chance of showers into Sunday.  How much this will help area farmers is another question.  I went for a drive to Humboldt with my parents on Sunday, and much of the farm land on the way looked dry.  Some of it wasn't even seeded.  At least area cattle farmers may see conditions improve in pasture land.

More Please.

Just before midnight a thunderstorm began to pass through the Saskatoon area.  I managed to see a couple of very clear, really neat looking streaks of lightning that were very close to us.  But of course the rain was the important thing.  But it wasn't that much, so we really could do with some more.  April saw us get only 2 percent of our normal precipitation.  May wasn't much better. And the little we got last night has pretty much dried out.   Hopefully the 30 percent chance of showers in the current forecast gets higher as the day goes on.

Flakes.

I woke up this morning to find some flakes of snow lazily floating out of the sky.  Unfortunately they didn't last long, as we need the precipitation here.  We've had virtually none this month so far, and there have already been several brush fires in the Saskatoon area.  To the west of us the town of Biggar actually declared an emergency earlier this week as a result of a nearby brush fire.  The current forecast calls for only a 30 percent chance of showers today, but Saturday night and Sunday are supposed to see rain and snow.  Let's hope that forecast holds up.

Nicest Weather Of The Year.

At the moment that's quite literally the case.  It's -5 Celsius and mainly sunny.  It hasn't been this warm at all so far this year until now, which is odd.  Unfortunately it won't last.  Tomorrow's high is -11.

The Cold Didn't Get Me.

I just haven't found anything to write about lately.  Not even the freezing cold here.  Things have improved slightly, but I'd still like it to be at least 10 degrees warmer.

Solid.

Solid as in frozen solid describes Saskatoon this morning.  When I woke up a 7 AM it was around -30, depending on what thermometer you looked at.  Environment Canada has a extreme cold warning out.  It's been a good while since we've had a deep freeze like this.  And today is a day I have to work outdoors.  So it's wear heavy clothing, keep most of my head covered up, and do what needs to be done.

Of course people being people, and hence some percentage stupid, you'll see some stupid standing outside for ten minutes wearing a fall weight jacket unzipped, with no hat on.  No, that doesn't make you look cool, it just makes you look stupid.

But don't worry.  Before you know it July will be here, it will be 30 above, and swimsuit weather.  Maybe thinking about that will keep you slightly warmer.

Here We Snow.

It didn't take long for November to look like winter.  It's snowing and blowing a lot today.  We might see 5 centimeters today.  But Saskatoon got lucky.  Some areas to the northeast of us are under snowfall warnings, and may receive up to 25 centimeters.

If you need an excuse to use public transit more weather like this is a good one.  Less cars on the road means less change for accidents, and you can leave the worry of driving to someone else.

A Hint Of Winter.

It's going to be a cold one here tonight.  The forecast calls for a low of -9.  Environment Canada put out a frost advisory, and noted that the low temperatures are the result of an "unseasonably cold airmass."  Fortunately for me I don't have to go anywhere tonight.

Guess it's time to break out the winter jacket.

Blue.

For days the skies over Saskatoon have been grey or brownish grey as the result of forest fire smoke drifting in from British Columbia.  In fact the smoke has reached as far east as parts of Ontario, leading to air quality warnings across much of the western half of Canada.  So it was nice to get up this morning to a blue sky.  How long this lasts remains to be seen.

Melt.

It's 11:45 PM, and according to our thermometers it's 28 degrees Celsius at the moment.  That's over 80 degrees for any American visitors.  That's not a temperature you normally expect here this late at night even in summer.  So if you've got some cool weather to spare tonight send it our way.

May Zap.

I just came in from my morning travels, and it was a good thing.  It's been raining for about 15 minutes, and I wasn't wearing a jacket.  But it's just rain so far.  The 11 o'clock forecast says there's a chance of a thundershower today.  That's something we usually don't associate with this early in May.  Lightning or not we can use the rain to damp down the dust a bit.

Snow Again.

Ugh.  I woke up this morning to find it's snowing.  The forecast says we might get up to five centimeters.  Conditions aren't likely to be as bad as some of you further east in North America have seen, and the high will be above freezing.  But it's still snow.  I'd really like some proper April conditions before the month is gone.

Icebox.

Winter just does not want to go away in Saskatoon.  As I write this Environment Canada says the temperature is -13 C.  Not the kind of daytime temperature you expect for April.  Apparently we won't see above freezing weather until next Tuesday at least.  At this rate I wouldn't be surprised if there are still patches of snow around at the beginning of May.

Snow Returns.

No, the snow didn't go completely away.  But warm temperatures before Christmas saw lots of it melt, resulting in lots of bare patches.  But now it has returned, with quite a bit falling since last night.  It now looks more like a typical January out there instead of March.  The current forecast calls for snow or a chance of snow into Tuesday.   So if you live in Saskatoon I hope you didn't misplace your shovel or snow blower.