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Crossroads This week
F rida y, Ja nua ry 2 3 , 2 0 2 6 | Vo lum e 23 N um b e r23 | $1.25 PER COPY ( plus ta x e s) SERVIN G BIRTLE, HAM IOTA, ROSSBURN , RUSSELL, SHOAL LAK E & SURROUN D IN G REGION
ADVENTURE AWAITS
DAR R E L L N E SBIT T / CR O SSR O ADS T H IS W E E K This snowmobile enthusiast opted to get off the groomed Trans Canada Trail passing through Rossburn to meet up with friends in the community on Thursday, Jan. 15. With large banks of snow in front of the Lions Manor as a backdrop, the operator enjoyed the reprieve from cold northwest winds, before heading out on an another adventure.
R egion h it w ith relentless w inter w ea th er The F a rm ers’ Alm a n a c w a s ba n g on w ith its foreca stfor the 2025/ 26 w in ter sea son , “ Chill, Sn ow , R ep ea t” RAC HEAL FLIN TO FT Cro ssro a d s This W e e k
“I told you so”, if pages could talk, you’d hear the Farmers’ Almanac mumbling this statement. While mainstream weather models hinted at a milder season, the centuries-old publication laid out a stark, three-word warning
for the 2025/26 season – “Chill, Snow, Repeat.” If you feel like you have spent more time behind a shovel than a steering wheel since December, you aren’t imagining it. Across the region, locals have undergone an unbelievable stretch of weather that began with a volatile end to 2025 that slammed into a continua-
tion in 2026. While many residents look for a January thaw to break up the season, the publication warned that any relief would be short-lived. Its forecast specifically stated that for the prairies, “Arctic air is expected to dominate in January and February,” bringing with it “prolonged deep freezes” and “danger-
ous wind chills.” For those in the region currently staring at six-foot snow drifts and ice-covered highways, that prediction has proven to be an accurate, if unwelcome, spoiler alert. Since the start of December, the region has been hammered by significant accumulation, beginning with a major storm on Dec. 9
that dumped between 15 to 20 centimeters (cm) of snow locally. Since that first taste of winter, January has already added another 24 cm of new snowfall, pushing our regional totals well above the historical average of 15 cm for this time of year.
SEE R E GIO N BAT T E R E D , PAGE 2