Christmas in Sask. warmer than usual
The children are on school break. You’ve got a few days off from work. So what better time to head to a toboggan hill? But will the weather co-operate?
1.
Saskatoon and area can expect above-average temperatures on Christmas Day and beyond. The forecasted high on Christmas Eve is -6C — and it should be even warmer on Dec. 25, with a predicted high of -4C. Boxing Day is expected to hit -9C, right around the historical average daily high of -9.9C, with temperatures in the weekend hovering around -3C.
2.
Regina and area’s forecasted high is also expected to be warmer than the historical daily averages. On Christmas Eve, the forecasted high is -5C before dropping slightly to -6C on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. (The historical average for Christmas Day in the Queen City: -8.6C.)
From there, nothing but sun is expected, with highs during the weekend between -4C on Friday and -1C on Sunday.
3.
Saskatoon and area can plan for a white Christmas. Regina ... not so much. Environment Canada on Dec. 18 noted that “a blanket of snow covers much of Saskatchewan, some places thicker than others.”
Based on its Global Ensemble Prediction System last week, along with a light dusting of snow on Monday, Saskatoon had a 100 per cent chance of what Environment Canada classifies as a white Christmas — defined as two centimetres of snow on the ground at 7 a.m. on Christmas Day.
Regina, on Dec. 18 and with no snow in the forecast, was at only a 30 per cent chance of a white Christmas.
4.
If Regina does not experience a snow-filled Dec. 25, it would be a historical outlier. According to historical data compiled by Environment and Climate Change
Canada looking at Christmas Days from 1955 to 2017, Regina has a 90-per-cent annual chance of a white Christmas. Over the 63year period analyzed, the Queen City saw 38 instances of what the weather service defines as a “perfect Christmas,” where at least two centimetres of snow is already on the ground on the morning of Dec. 25 and more snow falls during the day. In Saskatoon, the data shows a 94-per-cent annual chance of a white Christmas and 22 out of 63 years having a perfect Christmas. 5.
This week’s above-average temperatures around virtually the entire province — from Prince Albert to Key Lake in the north to Estevan in the south — are welcome by most. For Saskatoon and Regina, it’s certainly shaping up to be more comfortable than 1933, which is the coldest Christmas Day on record for both cities.
In Saskatoon, the temperature that Dec. 25 dropped to -38.9C, while in Regina it reached -39.4C.