Sask. to see high winds, gusts up to 100 km/h and return to normal temps

A wind warning for southern Saskatchewan could bring winds up to 100 km/h to parts of the province and an end to the above-seasonal temperatures in the province.

Danielle Desjardins with Environment and Climate Change Canada said winds will start to pick up in parts of the province later this evening. The strongest gusts will come on Thursday morning closer to noon around the west central parts of the province, including North Battleford, Saskatoon and Kindersley.

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Sustained 70 km/h winds from the northwest are to be expected by afternoon, with widespread gusts up to 90 km/h.

“(We) could have some areas that see 100 km/h wind gusts,” Desjardins said.

The winds come from a cold front that’s tracking through Saskatchewan but it won’t bring much falling snow, though there could be some reduced visibility at times especially in the southeast parts of Saskatchewan.

That wouldn’t be for prolonged periods or with any widespread effects, Desjardins clarified. She said the recent warm weather and melting means there isn’t much loose or light snow to blow around and the lack of new snowfall with this cold front.

The warm air at present is coming to Saskatchewan from the Pacific but is not a chinook, despite it bearing some chinook effects, Desjardins explained.

“There’s a low pressure system that’s going to be tracking through Manitoba, and there’s a tight pressure gradient in behind that low pressure system,” Desjardins said. “That’s what’s going to be tracking through the province, which will bring an end to the above seasonal temperatures, and it’s going to be producing those strong winds.”

She predicted the sheer strength of the wind will be the main concern for the province on Thursday because of recent warm conditions. Winds are expected to start dying off from west to east, starting Thursday evening and reaching the southeast part of the province by Friday morning.

The good — and bad — news, Desjardins said, is the end Saskatchewan will see to its above-seasonal temperatures. However, there won’t be bitterly cold arctic air behind this system. Instead, she said the province can expect average seasonal temperatures to follow, in the -8 C to -10 C range, with cooler overnight lows possibly reaching around -20 C through the next week.

As of Wednesday afternoon, most of southern Saskatchewan was placed under a wind warning.

— with files from 650 CKOM’s Lara Fominoff