(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Winter reprieve

‘It’s going to be absolutely awesome’: P.A. welcomes warmer temperatures

Feb 19, 2021 | 5:21 PM

Temperatures are expected to soar to near zero this weekend, then peak at a high of 4 Celsius on Monday. The promise of a break in the cold weather is a welcome reprieve for many, particularly during what has been an isolated pandemic winter.

Anne Charles with the P.A. Nordic Ski Club says the change in weather is exciting, particularly given the club is hosting a virtual ski challenge until Sunday.

“I think everyone’s been a little bit stir crazy of late,” she told paNOW.

The opportunity to get outside lifts people’s spirits and allows the opportunity for some safe socially distanced interaction, Charles explained.

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“I think everybody needs a little bit of that because there’s a lot of pandemic fatigue going on,” she continued.

Similarly, snowmobilers are expected to make good use of the warm weekend.

“It’s going to be absolutely awesome,” Gerry Dolizer, Prince Albert Trailriders secretary said. “After the cold weather, I think people will be looking for something to do so I think there will be lots of people out. Be careful on the trails because I think there’s going to be lots of traffic.”

City of P.A. water and sewer crews work outside in all four seasons. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

And while the change in temperature is being welcomed by outdoor recreation enthusiasts, it’s also being greeted with enthusiasm by those who don’t have the option to hunker down inside on the coldest days.

City of P.A. water and sewer crews are outside maintaining the city’s underground infrastructure year-round. Foreman Allan Carrier says the only time his staff aren’t out on the streets is when temperatures reach around minus 35 C with windchill. At that point, the decision to stay inside has less to do with workers’ tolerance to the cold and more to do with the fact their equipment has a tendency to freeze up, he explained.

“The guys are looking forward to it,” he said of the coming warm spell. “You don’t have to wear as much clothing and it’s a lot easier to do what you have to do outside.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom