Chunks or ice continue to flow down the North Saskatchewan River as temperatures rise. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW and meadowlakeNOW Staff

Goodbye winter

Warming spring melts winter remnants

Apr 30, 2022 | 8:00 AM

Springtime is finally coming to northwest Saskatchewan.

The flow of ice in the North Saskatchewan River is moving along with temperatures rising since last week. The upcoming forecast bodes particularly well for those hoping to get out of what’s been a cooler-than-average April, as the majority of snow is now gone.

The Battlefords are set for a high of 17 Celsius today, the warmest day of 2022 so far. Highs of 16 C and 20 C are expected over the following two days, with Sunday clouds giving way to Monday’s sun. Overnight lows are also finally above 0.

In Meadow Lake, temperatures are a hint cooler, but still much warmer than in April. Today’s high is 15 C, with an overnight low of -2 C before the next few days cool down to 11 C and 13 C respectively. Sunday’s overnight will get to 3 C, though there’s a chance of showers.

(Matt Ryan/meadowlakeNOW)

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Both areas are also seeing less aggressive winds, with speeds closer to 15-20 km/h.

While this helping move along the thawing process, the North Saskatchewan is not yet rid of ice. Fire chief Lindsay Holm, director of Protective Services in North Battleford, said he wouldn’t advise people to utilize the river given the amount of ice that remains.

“There’s pretty big chunks still floating down the river,” he said. “Anybody using that system, I would encourage to exercise caution.”

Fortunately, there aren’t greater risks at this time. Holm said he has no flooding concerns with the river, with a small bit of spilling into basins by the bridges, but nothing of significance. He noted they’re monitoring this closely, but he doesn’t expect flow increases.

“Where we’ll see the major increase is when the runoff from the mountains start entering that river system,” Holm said. “So we will see an increase in the water’s volume and speeds [then], but right now we aren’t seeing that.”

By Wednesday, both the Battlefords and Meadow Lake should hit around 25 C, continuing to warm afterwards. Meadow Lake will have some cloud cover, while the Battlefords is expected to be very sunny.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW