The blizzard that swept through southwestern Saskatchewan yesterday leaves the region with some bitterly cold temperatures and some snow to shovel.

Yesterday was a nice, sunny day sitting at +3 C around noon, then, by 1 p.m. the temperature had dropped to -11 C, and would continue to fall, reaching -20 C by midnight as the entire southwest was bombarded by the blizzard.

Winds managed to peak at 89.1 km/hr at 9:16 p.m, as they blew snow in a furious flurry across southwestern Saskatchewan, drumming up a huge deluge of calls to police, ambulances, and firefighters.

Snowfall amounts according to the Swift Current Research Station, totalled 9.4 centimetres. This number maybe be high considering just how much blowing snow there was.

The blizzard didn't just come out of nowhere. This particular blizzard was what is known as an 'Alberta Clipper', because it forms in central Alberta, and ends up clipping by very fast due to cold arctic air pushing it at very high speeds.

Terry Lang, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, talked about how even though there is minimal snowfall during a clipper, how they still manage to create such a humungous white out.

"They use usually a lot of wind with it," elaborated Lang. "Combine [that with] freshly fallen snow and some very strong winds, and you've got the recipe for a blizzard."

Even though the blizzard blew itself apart at 4 a.m, the cold arctic air that was driving it was quick to take its place, driving temperatures down to the -25 C we are experiencing today. These temperatures should elevate to more mild scores by the weekend.