Light Frost Hits Prairies

Sep 20, 2021

Some areas across the prairies were greeted with their first frost last night.

Early reports this morning in Saskatchewan and Alberta seem to vary on just how impactful the frost was on crops.

"It seems that there were quite a few areas that did get it last night and it ranged," Matthew Struthers, a crops extension specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, said. "I spoke with one fella, it only got to -2 for about a half-hour and then other guys it was a little bit colder than that for a little bit longer. It's all about how cold it got and the duration."

He added that the frost will force producers to hold off on spraying for at least 24 to 48 hours.

"When the frost happens, plants put up their guard and they won't accept chemicals when we spray them," he said.

Struthers said he hadn't heard of any reports regarding killing frost, which usually sets in around -5 to -7.

A couple of areas that broke the freezing mark last night were Swift Current, Kindersley, Fort McMurray, and Saskatoon.

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