April was cold for most of Saskatchewan but precipitation was quite varied, according to monthly weather statistics from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
Scientist at Environment Canada Christy Climenhaga says an arctic airmass settled over the province with the northern region being the coldest while the south was a bit warmer, but also colder than average.
"If you're looking at the month day by day, we did have a couple of very sharp cold spikes—once through the middle of the month, and then through the end of the month. We had a longer period below normal, so really driving off that cooler than normal conditions." she said.
Key Lake had the second coldest April on record at minus eight degrees, which is more than five degrees below normal. La Ronge had the fifth coldest month at minus 2.4 degrees and Meadow Lake had the seventh coldest month at minus 1.3.
Regina was 2.6 degrees below normal and other areas were between 1.8 and 4.5 degrees below their respective average.
April was an active month for multiple low-pressure systems going through the northern grainbelt, says Environment Canada, noting "a significant snowfall event on April 22-25 that impacted north and central Saskatchewan."
"All northern stations recorder over 100% of their average April precipitation, whereas the extreme south recorded only a fraction of their average precipitation." ECCC added.
Meadow Lake (41.7 mm), Prince Albert (43.5 mm), La Ronge (48.9 mm), and Key Lake (28.2 mm) recorded above normal precipitation last month, with Meadow Lake and La Ronge each making their respective the top ten for the wettest April on record.
Conversely, Estevan (7 mm), Swift Current (3.9 mm), and Yorkton (6.9 mm) made their respective top ten for the driest month on record.
"So, really different story on precipitation, depending on where you were." Climenhaga said.
