The rime frost that Saskatchewan experienced in recent weeks was picturesque with many posts of its beauty on social media, but its beauty may have overstayed its welcome in some areas. A spokesperson for SaskPower says the rime frost which builds up over days gets heavier and heavier, to the point where tree branches hit power lines and, in some cases, the power lines themselves become so heavy that they break off.

Friday morning there were about 10,000 customers without power, mostly in the southeast in the Carlyle area, but also south of Regina, near Moose Jaw and in the Kindersley area. Cherry says inches of frost built up has been reported on some of the lines. He notes that usually with this type of frost, it doesn’t last more than a day or two, but we have experienced a few weeks of it on and off.

By late Friday afternoon, the power was back on in most areas.