Collaborative effort in community cleanup after Jan. 3-4 snowfall

UNITY — Old Man Winter and Mother Nature partnered for a New Year's gift that was welcomed by outdoor sports enthusiasts. However, not everyone was thrilled with the snow dump, as it resulted in much cleanup in the community once the weather system settled. In typical Unity fashion, neighbours lent a hand to help remove excess snow for easier movement.

Once the snow had subsided and ceased Jan. 4, snow removal of all formats were out in full force, clearing driveways, sidewalks and other blown in places around town. As well, Unity town crews were busy removing excess snow from downtown and the main routes in town.

Weather sources issued snowfall warnings for Unity and predicted up to 15 centimetres of snow to arrive. While actual snowfall measurement is not known, Unity and area was thought to have received between 15 and 20 centimetres, with areas north of town receiving higher amounts.

It was a brief turnaround for temperatures as much of the province, including west-central Saskatchewan, is back into the deep freeze thanks to yet another polar vortex.

School was set to return Jan. 5, however Living Sky School Division was not running buses due to the cold.

Previous forecasts from a variety of weather sources and on SASKTODAY.ca talked of a prolonged cold snap in January due to the weather experience known as polar vortex.