Stony Rapids
# Stony Rapids

Stony Rapids (Chipewyan: Deschaghe, lit. 'settlement on the other side of the Rapids'; Woods Cree: ᐊᓯᓃᐏ ᐹᐏᐢᑎᑯᕽ, romanized: asinîwi-pâwistikohk, lit. 'stones in these rapids (locative)') is a northern hamlet in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located 82 kilometres (51 mi) south of the border to the Northwest Territories, the community is astride the Fond du Lac River. This river connects the community to Fond-du-Lac, Uranium City and Camsell Portage.

## Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Stony Rapids had a population of 219 living in 75 of its 132 total private dwellings, a change of -16.4% from its 2016 population of 262. With a land area of 4.24 $km^2$ (1.64 sq mi), it had a population density of $51.7/km^2$ (133.8/sq mi) in 2021.

## Transportation

Saskatchewan Highway 905 runs from Highway 102 to Stony Rapids. The highway is approximately 469 km (291 mi) long and is entirely unpaved. A 185 km (115 mi) section between Points North Landing and Black Lake is a seasonal winter road.

A winter ice road connects Fond-du-Lac and Uranium City. There is an all-season road to the community of Black Lake, 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast. Like most northern communities, Stony Rapids relies on its Stony Rapids Airport and Stony Rapids Water Aerodrome for vital transportation.

## Health care

The Athabasca Health Facility completed in 2003 at the cost of $12.7 million provides health care services to the Athabasca region. The hospital, located on reserve land (Chicken 224) of the Black Lake Dene Nation adjacent to Stony Rapids, is part of the Athabasca Health Authority.

## Climate

Stony Rapids has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) with long, severe winters and short, mild to warm summers. Winters are long, cold and snowy, with snow depth peaking at around 0.6 metres or 24 inches, reaching an extreme depth of 1.09 metres or 43 inches on 22 January 1991 and usually melting in mid-May. Unlike towns further west, temperature above 0 °C (32 °F) are very rare during winter, occurring on average only 1.5 times from December to February. Snowfall is steady from October to April, totalling on average 2.34 metres (92.1 in) and an extreme daily fall of 0.31 metres (12.2 in) on 16 March 1995.

Summers are mild to warm with frequent light rain, although 3.4 days per summer reach 30 °C or 86 °F. The average frost-free period is eighty-one days from 9 June to 30 August, though temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F) have occurred a handful of times in July.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Stony Rapids was 39.8 °C (103.6 °F) on 30 June 2021. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −50.6 °C (−59 °F) on 26 January 1966 and 13 January 1972.

Climate data for Stony Rapids Airport, 1981−2010 normals, extremes 1960−present :

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Record high °C (°F) | 5.4 (41.7) | 8.0 (46.4) | 17.2 (63.0) | 22.2 (72.0) | 33.1 (91.6) | 39.8 (103.6) | 38.5 (101.3) | 35.7 (96.3) | 30.6 (87.1) | 23.5 (74.3) | 10.0 (50.0) | 3.9 (39.0) | 39.8 (103.6) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −19.5 (−3.1) | −15.1 (4.8) | −6.6 (20.1) | 3.8 (38.8) | 12.1 (53.8) | 19.9 (67.8) | 22.7 (72.9) | 20.3 (68.5) | 12.7 (54.9) | 3.3 (37.9) | −8.2 (17.2) | −16.4 (2.5) | 2.4 (36.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −24.8 (−12.6) | −21.2 (−6.2) | −14.1 (6.6) | −3.0 (26.6) | 5.6 (42.1) | 12.9 (55.2) | 15.9 (60.6) | 14.0 (57.2) | 7.5 (45.5) | −0.5 (31.1) | −12.4 (9.7) | −21.4 (−6.5) | −3.5 (25.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −30.0 (−22.0) | −27.4 (−17.3) | −21.6 (−6.9) | −9.9 (14.2) | −1.0 (30.2) | 5.8 (42.4) | 9.1 (48.4) | 7.7 (45.9) | 2.4 (36.3) | −4.3 (24.3) | −16.7 (1.9) | −26.2 (−15.2) | −9.3 (15.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −50.6 (−59.1) | −48.9 (−56.0) | −46.1 (−51.0) | −38.9 (−38.0) | −18.3 (−0.9) | −5.0 (23.0) | −1.1 (30.0) | −2.8 (27.0) | −11.1 (12.0) | −24.4 (−11.9) | −45.6 (−50.1) | −48.2 (−54.8) | −50.6 (−59.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 19.3 (0.76) | 15.3 (0.60) | 20.6 (0.81) | 18.9 (0.74) | 32.0 (1.26) | 45.6 (1.80) | 62.4 (2.46) | 70.3 (2.77) | 59.3 (2.33) | 34.6 (1.36) | 30.1 (1.19) | 17.8 (0.70) | 426.2 (16.78) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.4 (0.02) | 5.2 (0.20) | 22.5 (0.89) | 45.5 (1.79) | 62.4 (2.46) | 70.3 (2.77) | 57.2 (2.25) | 16.7 (0.66) | 1.7 (0.07) | 0.3 (0.01) | 282.3 (11.12) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 35.3 (13.9) | 27.5 (10.8) | 30.9 (12.2) | 20.2 (8.0) | 12.2 (4.8) | 0.1 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.8 (1.1) | 25.0 (9.8) | 48.2 (19.0) | 32.2 (12.7) | 234.4 (92.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 12.7 | 10.6 | 10.1 | 7.5 | 10.2 | 11.1 | 13.7 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 12.0 | 146.3 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.17 | 0.04 | 0.64 | 2.6 | 8.3 | 11.1 | 13.7 | 14.6 | 13.9 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 0.63 | 74.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 15.8 | 13.7 | 12.0 | 6.4 | 3.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.04 | 1.6 | 10.4 | 17.8 | 16.3 | 97.7 |
| Source: Environment Canada ||||||||||||||
