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Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for much of Saskatchewan as a developing storm system is expected to bring widespread rain and the potential for snow through the May long weekend.
The weather agency says the low-pressure system is forecast to move into Saskatchewan Saturday night, with rain becoming heavy at times on Sunday across parts of the province.
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- High winds cause damage, overturn semis, knock out power for large parts of Regina and beyond
- ‘A pretty rare event’: Storm brings wind gusts as high as 115 km/h to parts of Sask.
According to Environment Canada lead forecaster, Brad Vrolijk, the system will move in overnight Saturday and continue into Sunday before easing up on Monday.
People can expect between 25 to 50 mm of rain (roughly one to two inches) and thunderstorms, but that’s not all.
“The other wrinkle in this whole system is, as you probably noticed this morning, it’s not exactly warm across the province,” Vrolijk said.
So, some places could see their rain change into snow.
“It’s not going to feel like summer this weekend, unfortunately,” Vrolijk said.
By Saturday morning, Vrolijk was unsure where the hardest hit areas would be.
“Weather models are struggling to kind of get a hang on exactly where the heaviest axis of precipitation is going to develop,” he said.
Though, he predicted it could be one of two options: east of Swift Current or the Regina area and northeast towards Yorkton.
Unfortunately, the widespread, heavy rain won’t hit areas that would welcome it, according to Vrolijk.
Despite being included in the special weather statement, he said areas west of Swift Current, like Maple Creek and Leader, won’t get as much precipitation.
Forecasters say rain could transition to snow in some areas Sunday afternoon as colder air moves into the province.
Special weather statements have bee issued for parts of Saskatchewan for Saturday night through Monday. (Environment Canada/website)
Current projections suggest any snow that falls would likely melt on contact due to warmer ground temperatures. However, Environment Canada cautions that if temperatures fall slightly more than currently expected, some snow accumulation may occur.
Meteorologists say some forecast models are indicating localized pockets of significant snowfall are possible, although confidence in the exact scenario remains low at this time.
The moisture follows a week of extreme weather that brought damaging winds, blowing dust, power outages, and difficult travel conditions to much of southern and central Saskatchewan.
Environment Canada says uncertainty remains regarding how much rain will fall, whether precipitation changes to snow, and whether any snowfall would accumulate.
Additional watches or warnings may be issued as the storm system develops.
Residents are being encouraged to continue monitoring Environment Canada forecasts and alerts throughout the weekend. Check the Highway Hotline for road conditions.
— with files from CJME News and 650 CKOM’s Marija Robinson
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