Late-season storm expected to bring rain and 10-15 cm of snow to large areas of Saskatchewan

After some very spring-like weather this week, it’s going to feel like winter again in most parts of Saskatchewan as a major storm rolls into the province on Wednesday.

Following a stretch of warm weather that saw driving ranges opening up and police warning motorcyclists to use caution on the roads, Environment Canada has issued warnings and special weather statements for all of central and northern Saskatchewan, saying that as much as 15 centimetres of snow is on the way for most regions. Meanwhile, northern parts of the province could see as much as 50 cm.

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Regina and the southeast were not included in the warning area, but the forecast indicates the Queen City will also see some snow over the coming days.

“Precipitation will initially start as rain on Wednesday for portions of western and southern Saskatchewan before transitioning to snow overnight into Thursday morning. There will be a risk of thunderstorms, especially over southern regions on Wednesday evening,” Environment Canada said in a statement.

“This will be a prolonged snowfall event, with snow lasting into Saturday. Total snowfall accumulations of 10 to 15 cm are possible.”

Most parts of the province were under snowfall warnigns or special weather statements from Environment Canada on Wednesday morning, with a wind warning also in effect in the southwest. (Environment Canada)

There’s also a chance of freezing rain on Wednesday night, the weather service added, while strong, northerly winds could lead to blowing snow and reduced visibility on the roads.

“Cooler, below seasonal weather is forecast in the wake of this system into next week,” Environment Canada added.

Further north, even more snow is expected. Environment Canada said areas around Meadow Lake could see as much as 25 millimetres of rain and as much as 20 cm of snow. Areas north of Prince Albert and Nipawin can expect to be hit hardest by the storm, with 30-50 cm of snow expected by the weekend.

“The Meadow Lake area has already been seeing some rain with the system, and we have a rainfall warning out there mostly for rain falling over frozen ground, so not a massive amount of rain, but enough over the frozen ground that it is probably going to cause some localized flooding in that area,” said Chris Stammers, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

Stammers said showers are expected to develop on Wednesday evening, with a risk of thunderstorms across the south before the rain transitions into snow.

“There is a thunderstorm risk later today and tonight for much of the south,” he said. “Snow, freezing rain, just a very dynamic system with all kinds of weather coming with it.”

In the southwestern corner of the province, a wind warning was in effect on Wednesday morning, with gusts of up to 90 km/h expected.

The latest updates on the weather alerts can be found on Environment Canada’s website, and the latest information on road conditions can be viewed on the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline.

–with files from 980 CJME’s Abby Zieverink