When a Saskatchewan cold snap was national news
Extreme temperature drop in November came 'much, much too early'
A temperature of -35 C wasn't remarkable for Saskatchewan — unless it happened in November.
In that case, it was remarkable enough to end a Tuesday-night broadcast of the CBC's The National on Nov. 21, 1978.
The temperature had been "lurking" at -35 C since the weekend, said host Knowlton Nash, noting that "for most people, it's much, much too early" for the low mercury.
Reporter John Calver praised the "artistic eye" of the camera operator who managed to make the cold look beautiful.
When cold becomes 'bothersome'
People outside, from children to the elderly, were seen bundled up and exhaling freezing plumes of air.
Waiting for a bus, doing some early Christmas shopping, or finding out the car wouldn't start were all times when the cold became "bothersome" for most, said Calver.
"But there's always someone around to make us look a little sheepish," said the reporter, as the camera followed a man jogging in a black balaclava and green-and-yellow jacket.
The recent temperature drop had reached record low levels — and according to Environment Canada, the lows in Regina on Nov. 18, 19 and 20, 1978 stand 46 years later as record lows for those calendar days.
The cold had even nudged a group of 3,000 Canada geese living on the city's Wascana Lake to take flight and head south — though not all had departed.
"A few hundred stayed around, sitting on the frozen lake, no food and no open water," said Calvert. "But who knows? Maybe they're waiting for a compass."
