Snow has turned P.A. into a winter wonderland. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Weather

Snow dampens P.A. and area

May 3, 2019 | 1:00 PM

Snow has for now returned to Prince Albert and the surrounding area.

The change in weather conditions does mean some changes for some people and groups, one being the City of Prince Albert. The weather has forced changes to the street sweeping schedule according to Operations Manager Mohammad Kraishan.

“We had the crew come in early in the morning, they were able to sweep only for a little bit, for about a half hour, an hour and then it was impossible to continue that street sweeping,” he said.

While the city had been in spring maintenance mode, it still had one of its vehicles equipped with snow clearing equipment.

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Kraishan said the vehicle cleared a few spots, but said overall the snow is melting on its own. City staff don’t expect further equipment, like a sanding truck, will be necessary.

Meanwhile Cook Municipal Golf Course, which just opened to golfers last week saw the snowy conditions put a damper on the season. Drew Ryhorchuk, the retail manager with Cook Municipal Golf Course said for them the recent weather is not all bad.

“Now seeing the snow sets us back a couple days, but in the end it’s moisture and we do need it,” he said.

Ryhorchuk said the snow will not be detrimental to the course, adding some people still hit the links yesterday before the weather turned.

“It’s going to help, it’s just free water basically,” he said.

The quick change in weather may lead some wonder about the bird populations that have returned to the area. Dr. Christy Morrissey, professor of biology at the University of Saskatchewan said such a change in weather conditions is not great for the animals.

“Being hit with a storm early in the season particularly after they just finished migration can be very taxing on birds energetically,” she said.

Morrissey said when conditions do change, bird populations can head for warmer areas – known as reverse migration. If they have arrived at their breeding grounds, some species may just settle in and wait out the conditions.

“It’s not often catastrophic, but if it is sustained or if we see more storm events, certainly that can have an impact at the population level,” she said.

The professor added cold spring weather events could be more problematic if they occur over a wider area, limiting birds’ ability to move away from the conditions.

Morrissey explained birds that eat insects, such as swallows, would likely be the most negatively affected as insects are hard to find in cold weather.

Whose idea was it to put out the garden furniture? P.A. was hit by several inches of snow Friday morning (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn