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  3. Climate Change in Saskatoon

Climate Change in Saskatoon

What are the effects of climate change? 

Over the next 80 years, global climate models project that Saskatoon can expect: 

  • warmer overall temperatures
  • more hot days
  • changes in precipitation timing
  • increasingly variable seasons
  • more intense storms 

To learn about projected climate changes for Saskatoon and their possible effects, see the ClimateWest report: A Snapshot of the Changing Prairie Climate (April 2022). 

The effects of climate change are largely experienced at the community level and include public health implications, water supply and storm water issues, transportation system disruptions, power disruptions, impacts to public and private properties and landscapes, and increased and/or urgent demand for social and emergency services. 

Consider Canadian disasters like the Calgary, AB flood in 2013, the western north American heat dome in 2021 that caused 1:1000-year record high temperatures and forest fires and led to the destruction of Lytton BC, and multiple forest fires and evacuations across Canada over spring and summer 2023; these kinds of events are likely to occur more often due to climate change.  

 

How is the City preparing for climate change? 

The City of Saskatoon’s Corporate Adaptation Strategy examines the impacts of climate change on our programs and services. A community adaptation strategy is planned for 2024 to address the risks to the whole community of Saskatoon. This table shows the highest corporate risks identified in the 2019 risk analysis: 

Climate Change Risk Analysis Chart

The full risk analysis and the city’s actions are set out in Local Actions: Saskatoon’s Adaptation Strategy.

While taking action to lower our emissions, the City is also proactively preparing itself to face climate impacts and mitigate risks to key infrastructure, programs and services posed by a warming climate and more frequent and intense storms. For instance, we have added a dry pond to the Churchill Park as a way to improve flood control.  

The goal of preparing for climate change is to achieve greater resilience such that people, neighbourhoods, businesses, and organizations can cope with current climate variability as well as adapt to future climate change, preserving the quality of life achieved through current development and minimizing damages. 

 

The climate is already changing 

People in Saskatoon are already experiencing the impacts of climate change. According to Climate West and the Prairie Climate Centre, the Prairies are warming faster than in the rest of Canada and the rest of the world. As Saskatoon's climate continues to change, according to Climate West and Prairie Climate Centre we can expect: 

  • More severe and more frequent storms
  • Unpredictable rainfall: increased drought in the summer and increased flooding as more of our rain falls in heavy storms
  • More days with poor air quality as wildfires increase across Canada
  • “Weather whiplash” – increased sudden changes between hot and cold days, such as a rainy February day followed by extreme cold
  • More very hot days in summer. Saskatoon is projected to move from 7 days above 30°C every year (historically) to 21 days above 30°C by 2050 and 45 days by 2080.

 

Climate change will affect our day-to-day lives and increase costs for people living in Saskatoon. Some of the impacts include: 

  • Damage to roads and buildings from floods, storms, and temperature swings
  • Increased demand for water and power systems could result in water restrictions or power outages
  • Increased costs to cool homes and businesses in the summer
  • Increased costs of insurance as storm and flood damage become more common
  • Loss of trees from increased pests and droughts
  • Changes to our outdoor recreation. This might mean longer summers for outdoor recreation, but also more days in the summer with extreme heat or poor air quality limiting how we spend time outdoors
  • Increased heat-related illness, respiratory problems from wildfire smoke, and new diseases moving north as the climate warms 

 

There are some potential benefits if we adapt and prepare for climate change, but those benefits could be outweighed by new challenges: 

  • Longer growing seasons, but the benefits may be outweighed increased drought and storms
  • Longer warm season for outdoor recreation, but the number of summer days with smoke and extreme heat will also increase, so we may have fewer days enjoying the outdoors
  • Fewer winter days below -30, but with an increase in rain on snow, icy conditions, and winter storms
  • The farming sector could see benefits from being able to grow different, potentially more valuable, crops but will also face increased pests and diseases, increased drought, and more frequent and severe storms (including high winds and hail) 

 

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