The first weekend of March was certainly an interesting one, wasn't it?
Businesses shuttering their doors.
Staff members being told to stay home.
Events being postponed or outright cancelled.
Vehicles of all makes and models being stuck in ditches.
Family, friends and neighbours grabbing their shovels or revving up their snowblowers in order to clear driveways and alleys.
Yep, it was a classic late winter snowstorm here on the prairies. There have been plenty before it and there will be plenty after it.
But even after getting a foot or two of fresh snow dumped down on us to signify the arrival of March, and even after it prevented me from driving to work on Monday morning (eh, I needed the walk anyway; besides, it gives you a different perspective on your community), I can't help but shake my head and give a slight chuckle.
Because we were certainly due, weren't we?
West central Saskatchewan had a very bizarre November and December, which saw no snow and instead gave us days of sunny, blue skies and average temperatures of +5. Christmas was certainly a memorable one for the sheer fact that there wasn't a fingertip of snow to be found anywhere. It was crazy looking outside at the family farm and seeing, well, everything in clear sight because there was no snow to hide anything.
The way I see it, this past weekend was Old Man Winter coming to collect what he was owed. And hey, a nice thick blanket of precipitation will certainly come in handy in the spring when it melts, doing its part to hydrate local lands and aid in crop growth and nourishment.
It brought to mind previous bad storms in the past, whether they were past winter ones, or horrendous rain and thunderstorms in the summertime.
Like the monster storm we got in July 2017 that brought down the heaviest rain and most piercing hail imaginable. Trees were levelled, streets and boulevards were drenched, roofs were damaged, and for some, it made driving home quite a predicament. Take me, for instance. I remember driving back to Conquest late in the day and taking the west grid road. I'm driving and driving, and what do I see? A massive tree splayed across the road, blocking my pathway into town, which was maybe a couple hundred feet away. So I backed up, turned around and got back to the highway to take the main access road. Funny, but annoying!
While I'm looking back on previous instances of inclement weather, I thought I'd do a little digging to see what other notable times when Saskatchewan had some historic weather. I found these highlights on a CBC news website from 2017.
The Regina tornado (June 30, 1912):
It was hot and muggy on June 30, 1912. Wascana Park was bustling with people soaking up the heat.
But what started as a beautiful summer day took a turn. Just before 5 p.m. CST, the clouds started to build with a dangerous green tinge.
Then, a strong cyclone touched down south of Regina. It travelled north, tearing through neighbourhoods north of Wascana Lake and the downtown.
This tornado is ranked as the deadliest cyclone in Canadian history. Twenty-eight people lost their lives and hundreds were injured. Houses and businesses were flattened, leaving $1.2 million in property damage and 2,500 people without homes.
Hottest temperature in Canada (July 5, 1937):
Though southern Ontario is known for its hot summers, Saskatchewan has its own place in the record books.
On July 5, 1937, the mercury rose to 45 C in both Yellow Grass and Midale, Sask., which is the hottest temperature officially recorded in Canada.
Yellow Grass is 75 kilometres southeast of Regina. Midale is 150 kilometres southeast of Regina.
Kamsack cyclone (Aug. 9, 1944):
On Aug. 9, 1944, when most eyes were on Europe, the skies opened up over Kamsack, Sask., northeast of Yorkton by the Manitoba border.
A powerful tornado ripped through the small town, killing three people and injuring many others. The twister destroyed 400 houses,100 businesses and caused $2 million in damages.
Veterans returning from overseas came home to a different battleground: helping with the community's rebuild. This led to the community's biggest building boom in its history.
Winter of 1947:
Saskatchewan is well-known for rough winters but many consider the winter of 1947 to be the worst. Storms began just after Christmas and continued on and off for weeks.
On Jan. 30, 1947, a 10-day blizzard rolled through the south of the province, effectively shutting it down.
The snow drifts blocked roads and rail lines from Calgary all the way to Winnipeg, some until spring. Only the tops of telephone poles were visible in some communities and transportation in the province ground to a halt. One farmer in Moose Jaw, Sask., had to cut a hole in the roof of his barn to feed his cows.
The blizzard has been dubbed the "Worst Storm in Canadian Railroad History" by Environment Canada.
Prairie drought of 1988:
From too much snow to not enough precipitation, the summer of 1988 was marked by extreme drought conditions.
By June, record hot temperatures in the 40 C range set up in Saskatchewan and many communities only saw half their average rainfall.
Erosion of the dry soil was a problem and dust storms rolled across the parched prairies. The summer yielded a significant drop in crop production, with a loss of $1.8 billion in 1981 dollars.
So, it should go without saying that we've sure seen some newsworthy weather here at home. And when we look back on such events that happened decades or generations ago, we can be lucky that we now live in such a tech-savvy age where everyone has a phone glued to their hand. Sometimes we don't know how good we truly have it!
But still, despite knowing that things could be worse and acknowledging that we did in fact need this kind of colossal snowfall, I still have to ask:
Can spring get here already?
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
