Parts of Sask. experiencing warmest December on record

Parts of Saskatchewan are experiencing their warmest December on record. The above normal conditions have been getting many people outdoors, but has also stopped people from enjoying their annual winter activities.

Will McDowall is visiting from England. He regularly comes to Saskatchewan and is shocked by the level of snow this year.

“I had been hoping to do some cross country skiing because I don’t get to do that in England, but there’s no snow for that,” he said. “Every other year I get to do a little bit of skiing and this year I can’t.”

Parts of the province are seeing temperatures at about 9 C above the month’s average. According to Environment Canada, 94 high temperature records were set in Saskatchewan in December, with 18 of those being set on Dec. 22.

The last time the ground was this brown was in 1997, with people getting out and enjoying the outdoors.

It was a complete shift from the winter of 1996, which saw lots of snow and set the stage for dangerous flooding in Swift Current and Moose Jaw.

The nice weather now is something to enjoy but some residents are worried about possible dangers in the future.

“I know a lot of people like this weather that don’t like the cold but I think there is a lot of downside to this,” said Dean Gutheil from Regina. “I’m not a climate change denier, this is really happening. You gotta think about drought in the spring and forest fires.”

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For those looking for a scientific explanation, there is one, and it’s an occurrence that happens from time to time.

Kyle Mcaulay with Environment Canada said as this is an El Nino year, the weather is a little more milder than usual.

“When there is lots of clearing on the ground, the sun’s energy gets absorbed a lot more,” he explained. “That’s also helping to create this warm weather we’ve been having.”

Although there isn’t much snow to be found, the below O C temperatures have allowed some ice rinks to stay frozen, but they are barely hanging on.

Environment Canada is warning everyone to be safe around bodies of water as they may not be fully frozen over.