After a few years of extreme weather and record-breaking climate events, Saskatchewan’s weather took a more “average” turn in 2024. But there were still some new records achieved based on data from SRC’s Climate Reference Stations (CRSs) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and at the Conservation Learning Centre (CLC) near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
After a multi-year drought and lower than normal precipitation over the past few years, much of the province experienced a wetter than normal 2024, with plenty of rainfall in the spring and early summer, followed by snow accumulation later in the year.
By the end of December, SRC’s Climate Reference Station in Saskatoon recorded a year-to-date cumulative precipitation total of 422.50 mm—up 70.2 mm from the average—but still well below the extreme of 707.4 mm that occurred in 2010.
But are we out of the drought?
We checked in with SRC Climatologist Virginia Wittrock to get her take on the weather events of 2024.
Interested in receiving monthly and annual weather summaries in your inbox? Subscribe here!
January
Snow? What snow? Both stations started off recording a ‘brown' new year—something Wittrock had never seen before.
“As far as I can tell from our records at the Saskatoon CRS, this was the first year we had a snow-free New Year’s Day,” said Wittrock. “We’ve had brown December 25ths before, but we usually start with at least a snowfall by New Year’s Eve.”
In Saskatoon, things turned white around by January 5 with the first snowfall leaving behind 3 cm. After nine consecutive days of snow falling in the Bridge City, temperatures took a dip below -20 Celsius (C) but this cooldown was short lived as temperatures rose back up to a record-breaking 9.2 C by January 30.
February
The heat persisted into February, with temperatures lingering in the positive single digits for the first few days of the month. Freezing rain trickled through the province early on, but as colder temperatures rolled, so did the snow.
By the end of the month, we were greeted with a moderate snowfall and higher winds, leading to blowing and drifting snow.
March
March was another month of fluctuating temperatures. Wittrock notes the CRS in Saskatoon saw temperatures ranging from a high of 7.6 C on March 18 to a low of -28.3 C on March 5.
“It was also a snowy start to the month, with Saskatoon seeing six consecutive days of snowfall,” says Wittrock, “with a sore-back-from-shovelling type of snowfall on March 3, raising the snow-on-the-ground levels from 7 cm to 30 cm.”
By the end of March, the average mean temperature was a couple degrees higher than the ‘normal’ mean, while the month’s total precipitation was above average (third month in a row), thanks to the big March 3 snowfall.
April
SRC's CRSs in Saskatoon and at the CLC both recorded precipitation close to the monthly average in April, with Saskatoon receiving slightly above average amounts (four months in a row).
While the month brought some mixed precipitation, temperatures were quite warm on average, with highs in the high teens to low twenties recorded at both CRSs through April. The last spring frost was measured at the Saskatoon CRS on April 27 (-3.9 C).
May
And the precipitation continued! Our CRS at the CLC recorded nearly twice the average precipitation in May.
While the CRS in Saskatoon saw more conservative precipitation numbers, the Bridge City was still 13 mm above normal (five months in a row). Temperatures this month were around average or slightly below.
June
June was another wet month with temperatures slightly below average.
“Our CRS at the CLC experienced chillier than normal conditions with temperatures plunging below the freezing mark twice in June,” says Wittrock. "The last spring frost at CLC was June 17 with a measured temperature of -0.8 C."
Saskatoon’s CRS once again reported above-average precipitation, making it the sixth consecutive month that Saskatoon reported more precipitation than normal, a feat that last occurred in 2012!
July
July brought the heat and with it, some poor air quality, as smoke blanketed the province throughout the month. In Saskatoon, smoke was recorded eight times in July and temperatures soared above 30 C eleven times.
It was a bit cooler north of Saskatoon, with the CRS at the CLC recording only two days above 30 C.
August
August was a fairly average month with both temperatures and precipitation hovering around normal. A thunderstorm on August 23 brought record amounts of rain to Saskatoon—with more than 27 mm falling in one day!
While it may have seemed like a cooler summer, Wittrock says that it was a typical one for Saskatchewan.
“While June was very wet, July and August were your stereotypical summer months,” she says. “I don’t think we were used to dealing with rain as we haven’t had that much moisture since 2016.”
September
Autumn might officially arrive in September, but in 2024, Saskatoon saw summer-like temperatures with six days above 30 C. Precipitation fell in the normal range once again with showers throughout the month.
While the CRS at the CLC saw similar patterns, temperatures were slightly cooler than Saskatoon, with only two days above 30 C recorded.
October
The normal averages continued in October for precipitation and temperatures. Saskatoon did experience a mild, snow-free Halloween, reaching a balmy 11.9 C on October 31.
November
The month started out on the warmer side, but temperatures fell in mid-November and were well below freezing by the end of the month. Precipitation was a bit mixed early on, with rain and freezing rain recorded by our CRSs in Saskatoon.
Saskatoon closed out the month with nearly 20 cm of snow on the ground, a depth that hadn’t been seen by the city for over 58 years!
December
The last month of 2024 brought above-average precipitation to Saskatoon, including rainfall on December 8, which set a new daily precipitation record. Up 10 mm from normal, December was another wet month for the city.
“Even though we had a few snow events, it wasn’t really an abnormal amount of snow,” explains Wittrock, “but what was different was the amount of rain we got. It wasn’t freezing rain either, it was full on rain.”
The CRS at the CLC saw less precipitation and cooler temperatures, with a low of -36 C on December 18. Saskatoon’s temperatures were slightly above average for the month, with December 24 and December 25 both above zero.
Despite a year with above-average precipitation, Wittrock says Saskatchewan is not quite out of its multi-year drought yet.
“This year was the first time in eight years that we had higher than average precipitation,” says Wittrock, “but the soil moisture levels were so low, they are still catching up.”
Another year or two with above normal precipitation is needed to get Saskatchewan out of its drought. But too much rain is rarely a good thing, either. You might remember that in 2010, Saskatoon recorded a record-breaking 707.4 mm of rain, nearly 285 mm higher than 2024!
Will the wet weather trends continue in 2025? SRC’s Climate Reference Stations diligently gather data day and night and will reveal a new weather story in the months ahead.
Want a first look at what that story will be? Subscribe to SRC’s monthly and annual weather summaries here.
