Regina welcomes extended winter warm up

REGINA – Regina residents were looking for a reason to get outdoors Friday, after temperatures jumped above the zero degree mark for the first time since January.

Melting snow and ice created messy sidewalks and roads, but didn’t stop people from taking advantage of the warm-up.

“I’ve even got my spring jacket on,” said one shopper who was buying salt to spread on any remaining ice on his sidewalks.

While puddles are welcome evidence of the warm weather, Kelley Brinkworth with SGI said residents need to take the right steps to make sure their homes are prepared for all the melting snow and ice.

“When it comes to water damage like flooding or sewer back up, some of the tips would be to remove snow from the foundations of your home,” she explained.  “Shovel it away from where it’s going to melt and drain away from your foundation.”

After the frigid weather experienced in southern Saskatchewan as of recently, including extreme cold warnings earlier in the week, the long-term forecast looks promising with positive temperatures.

“Holy smokes, I’m looking for a bathing suit already,” joked one resident who was browsing patio furniture Friday.

Warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, John Paul Cragg, said the warm-up could last around two weeks, but said it’s still far too early to bid farewell to winter.

“The models are showing a colder than average March which would suggest we’ll get cold again,” he explained.  “Here in Saskatchewan it can still get cold into March and even into April, so we’re not necessarily out of the woods yet.”