Winter returns to western Canada
After last week's shorts and T-shirt weather, residents of western Canada were back into their winter thermals.
In just a week the daytime high in Regina, Saskatchewan, went from 28C (82F) in warm southerly winds, to just 3 C (37F) in cold Arctic winds. It was even colder further north in Saskatoon, a frigid -6 C (21F) on Monday afternoon - well below their April average of 9C (48F).
The winter chill was accompanied by snow, from parts of Alberta to northwest Manitoba. Some places saw 20 to 30cm (7.8 to 11.8 inches) of snow, causing numerous problems on local highways.
With conditions set to only slowly improve, it will remain chilly this week, with the heavy snow warnings issued by Environment Canada still in place on Tuesday.
Late cold snaps are not that unusual in Canada, with heavy snowfall events possible even in May. This particular event may have a positive impact; after an extremely dry winter, Agriculture Canada believes that a slow snowmelt will give the soil the moisture it needs for a good recharge.
