Wild Sask. May long weekend comes with snow, ice, floods and fire bans

Saskatchewan’s number one long weekend of tenting, golf game and summertime is hither, but it doesn't feel that way.

A severe spring storm slammed the province this week, bringing winds that topped 100 kilometres an hour, alongside flooding and flurries. 

In northern parts of the province, fresh snow fell Friday on lakes that haven’t fully melted yet.

It's hard to tell if it's ice fishing season or summer boating weather in some other areas.

If the ice has melted, you might be dealing with flooding — but also a fire ban.

Matthew Siemens, who runs the Sask Lakes social media pages and newsletter, said he’s been tracking lake conditions across Saskatchewan for the past two years. This week, his site has been flooded with people anxious to know if they can get their boats in. 

The short answer, for most of the province, is not yet.

“For a lot of people it might be disappointing. It’s cold and snowy and windy and miserable.” 

Jacelyn Perret, media officer at Prince Albert National Park, said crews have been working hard to get things ready after two late-April snowstorms buried some campsites under 50 centimetres.

“Every effort is being put into preparing Beaver Glen Campground and providing water to the seasonal residence areas around Waskesiu,” Perret said. 

The campground is expected to open Thursday and the water is now on, but a precautionary advisory is in place, ordering people to boil it for a minimum of one minute before consuming.  Potable water is available at the visitor centre. 

Namekus Lake Campground will open, but with snow still on sites and no fish shack. 

Narrows Campground will have no running water, only pit toilets. 

Sandy Lake Campground will not open this long weekend. 

Perret warned people to stay off the ice.

“A lot of people might think ice fishing on the lake might be a fun long weekend activity and a fun story to tell,” she said. “However, the ice is still incredibly weak and very dangerous."

Barry Howe said he woke up Friday morning to two and a half inches of fresh snow at his North Country Lodge near La Ronge. The ground was bare when he went to bed Thursday night.

“We seem to have a return to winter for a few days,” Howe said.

On Tuesday, he measured 73.6 centimetres of ice about 100 metres off his island. By Thursday — after two warm days — it was down to 48 cm.

Lynn Flury, director of marketing for GlobeX Management, which runs properties at Candle Lake, Emma Lake and Waskesiu, said it was snowing at all three on Friday.

GlobeX’s golf course at Candle Lake remains closed, with hopes to open May 21, depending on how much more precipitation falls this weekend. At Emma Lake, Sunset Bay Resort’s cabins and lodge are open and hosting guests. 

“Most people don’t go swimming on May long weekend,” Flury said. “Only the bravest of the brave.”

She said the phones have been ringing with people asking when the ice will clear.

“We just do our best to give them the information we have and our projections and keep that optimistic outlook that the rest of the summer will be OK.”

For anyone daring to forge ahead this long weekend, Siemens said there’s no such thing as bad weather. 

“I’m a big believer that you've just got to lean into it,” he said. “There’s usually some sort of activity, no matter what. The temperature swing you can have this time of year is wild. Bundle up and be prepared.”

Reporter

---

---