Climate change in the semiarid prairie of southwestern Saskatchewan: Late winter–early spring

Abstract

Long-term weather and hydrological data were analyzed to study climate change during late winter–early spring within an approximately 15 000 km2 area in the semiarid prairie near Swift Current, Saskatchewan. The climate has changed over the past 50 yr. Winter and spring maximum and minimum temperatures have warmed, snowfall amounts have decreased, and spring runoff has started earlier now than during past years. The percentage of precipitation as snow has decreased as temperatures have warmed. As well, even though temperatures have warmed, the date of the last spring frost has not gotten earlier with time. Key words: Climate change, semiarid prairie, winter and spring, temperature, snow, spring runoff