Additional snow last week contributing to mostly normal spring runoff in Saskatchewan

The spring runoff outlook for Saskatchewan is getting an update after last week’s major snow dump, though the update does not include the spring snowstorm that hit the province this week.

The Saskatchewan Water Security Agency is predicting near-normal to below-normal runoff for 2026, according to its latest update shared on April 17.

Shawn Jaques, president and CEO of the Water Security Agency, said the additional snowfall over the past couple of weeks in Saskatchewan isn’t likely to greatly impact runoff levels in the province.

Read more:

• Spring runoff outlook mixed across Saskatchewan: Water Security Agency
• Normal spring runoff predicted for Saskatchewan despite recent snowfall
• Another dry spring for Sask. southwest: Water Security Agency

“It’s probably not going to change a lot of the runoff forecast, but it is a very welcome precipitation,” Jaques said, “particularly in west side of our province, in the southwestern part that we’re always looking for a bit more moisture.”

The agency said it has been closely monitoring conditions over the past month in a release on Friday, and “additional manual snow surveys were completed at 12 selected sites across Saskatchewan on April 9 and 10, 2026, supplementing ongoing monitoring efforts.”

Jaques said the organization will continue to monitor as the snow melts, especially in parts of the province where there’s higher-than-normal snow pack and the potential for some localized flooding.

Normal runoff is expected due to additional accumulation of snow since March 1 across most of central Saskatchewan. East central Saskatchewan is expected to have well-above-normal runoff, including areas around Hudson’s Bay and north of Yorkton and Wynyard. Above-normal snowpack will likely lead to normal runoff in the Quill Lakes Basin, the agency said.

Pointing to an area in the northeast, extending from Hudson Bay down towards Yorkton, Jaques said there is anticipation of some potential flooding thanks to well-above-normal runoff.

“It really is dependent on how snow melts, if it’s a delayed melt, and we get some really high temperatures and it melts quickly, there could be some localized flooding,” he said.

Snow, according to the agency’s findings, has persisted in the central and northern parts of the province, while melting is far more advanced in the southern parts of Saskatchewan. Jaques said snow runoff is mostly complete in the southwest part of the province, though that area did see snow this week.

Speaking from Moose Jaw, Jaques noted that area “got quite a bit of snow, which is very welcomed for these drier parts of Saskatchewan.”

The Water Security Agency reported snowmelt has finished in the southern part of the Qu’Appelle River Basin, while in the northern areas of the basin, earlier snowmelt has been slowed by the return of cold temperatures and more snowfall. Within that river basin, all lakes are “expected to remain in the normal operating ranges.”

The Churchill River Basin’s runoff is expected to vary from below normal to above normal.

Snow was already melting south of Yorkton and near the Quill Lakes, according to survey results from the agency, with most of the snow gone already. North of Yorkton and north of Melfort near Meadow Lake and Prince Albert, however, well-above-normal levels of snow remained thanks to the lingering cold temperatures.

Major water supply reservoirs are largely at or above normal levels for this point in the spring, with the exceptions of McDougald and Harris, which are below normal. Reservoirs in the Souris River Basin are expected to remain within normal operating ranges.

Basin condition monitoring and management of Lake Diefenbaker – which is currently above the median for this time of year, but within normal operating range – continues for the Water Security Agency.

Snow in the mountains is well above normal and the “main driver of May and June flows in the Saskatchewan River Basin,” along with spring and summer rainfall, the agency reported. Should those conditions continue, runoff into Lake Diefenbaker would be expected to exceed normal levels.

The agency noted normal precipitation and warmer-than-normal temperatures are predicted in the long-range forecasts for the entirety of southern Saskatchewan between May and July.

The agency said it continues to monitor and will report on “landscape conditions and water supply reservoirs to allow for timely response to changing conditions.” Jaques said the Water Security Agency will not be releasing another formal update, however.

Commenting on silt build-up in the South Saskatchewan river – which impacted Saskatoon activities, including the Prairie Lily’s ability to set sail last summer – Jaques explained that well-above snowpack in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains melting is anticipated to have a “positive impact on the flows of the South Saskatchewan River.

“As that begins to melt in May into June, we’re anticipating to see an increase in flow, which should have an impact on moving some of that silt,” he said.

Jaques also noted that with the potential for localized flooding, the Water Security Agency has contacted more than 100 First Nations communities to make them aware of potential impacts of the spring runoff.