Sunday’s cold spell broke record set in 1901

A blast of cold air from the Arctic brought record-breaking low summer temperatures to central Saskatchewan on Sunday.

In Regina, the temperature reached a low of 2 C, breaking the record of 2.8 C set in 1901. In Saskatoon, the mercury dropped to 0.7 C, breaking the record low of 2.2 C set in 1940.

North Battleford broke the longest-standing record. Temperatures dropped to 0.5 C, breaking the record low of 1.7 C set all the way back in 1895.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECC), the cause for the drop was a large low-pressure system that was sitting over northern Saskatchewan that sucked cold air down from the Arctic. The plummeting temperatures even brought snow to areas of northern British Columbia and Alberta.

Clear skies helped drag the temperatures down over central regions of the province.

Terri Lang, a meteorologist with ECC, explained that cloud cover usually acts like a blanket, trapping heat. Without that blanket, Lang said it allowed temperatures in those areas to sink.

Temperature drops like this are rare, but not unprecedented. Especially for Saskatchewan. Lang said this drop isn’t the sign of a trend.

“It’s the nature of where we are. We’re one of the places in North America that’s really far away from water,” said Lang.

Water helps moderate temperature, and since Saskatchewan is not near any major lakes or oceans, Lang said temperatures are at the mercy of weather systems.

“So we can get the really hot stuff from the south, we can get the really humid stuff from the southeast, and we can get the real cold stuff from the north,” said Lang.

The nights are also getting longer, which allows the cold air to get deeper. This, as Lang explained, is unfortunately a sign that summer won’t be around much longer.

“We’re turning that corner, I think, into the end of summer and coming into fall, which is a tough realization,” said Lang.

The likelihood of crops being damaged by the brief temperature drop is low.

Cory Jacob, a crops extension specialist with the province’s Ministry of Agriculture, said lighter frosts at these temperatures are not as severe as the heavier ones, which happen in the -4 to -5 C range.