This weekend’s snowfall came unwanted for many in southern Saskatchewan, but for farmers it brought much-needed moisture to the soil.

“It was a small amount but a welcomed amount,” Grain farmer Lee Moats said.

Moats’ farm is located near Riceton, Sask., about 50 KM southeast of Regina. He planned to seed ’til the end of April, but the late snowfall and cooler temperatures changed his course of plans. Still, he welcomed the moisture and is happy to wait a few extra days before seeding.

“Some people have started seeding already, but of course the moisture draws that to a halt,” Moats said. “For most of us though, we are very glad to see some additional moisture.”

“It’s a little bit on the dry side and having this snow and a little bit of rain that came with it, moistens everything up, reduces the fire risk, but really raises our spirits.”

“The amount of precipitation that fell over southern Saskatchewan was highly varied,” said Terri Lang, Environment Canada services meteorologist. “It went anywhere from 45 centimetres to only a couple of millimetres of rain towards the southeast.”

Further north in Saskatoon, it was sunny skies.

“March was the eighth driest [month] on record in Saskatoon and so far, April is the driest [month] on record. That is a long-running record, we are down in the precipitation category, we really need some,” Lang said.

Lang said in the next couple weeks we can expect cooler temperatures, and a wind with a changing weather system.  There could also be rain and or snow showers in the forecast.

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