Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park received a surprise yesterday in the form of 13 inches of snow. While some snow was expected for the region, Dan French, Park Manager of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, says the sheer amount of snowfall was unexpected.

"This morning it was quite a shocker- I believe they were calling for five centimetres overnight, but we came in this morning and there was about 13 inches of snow that arrived overnight," he said.
It was quite a shock for all of us."

French says by noon yesterday, the snow had already started to recede.

"It's unbelievable how fast the snow comes in and then leaves," he said. "When we came in it was around -1, so we knew it was a wet, heavy snow, but we knew it wasn't gonna be sticking around very long. it's probably going to be a little wet... and a bit of a muddy mess."

He adds that roads are now clear to the park, and he doesn't expect early-season camping to be affected by the unexpected storm.

The park's camping registration opens Sunday April 9, with camping spots available starting the May long weekend.

John Paul Cragg, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist with Environment Canada, shares what led to Sunday night's snowfall - which didn't hit anywhere else in the region.

"Due to the elevation, because they're quite a bit higher than areas surrounding Cypress Hills, the temperature of the atmosphere is just a little bit colder, and it was just cold enough that rain that was falling in other places came down as snow," he said.

Cragg says due to an all-time temperature range of approximately 60 degrees in the month of April, snow can still be expected in other centres beyond the warm week ahead.