(File photo/CKOM News staff)

By Rob Mahon

Severe Storms Approach

Severe thunderstorm, heavy hail threaten Prince Albert, Melfort

Jun 6, 2023 | 12:30 PM

Much of central Saskatchewan took a quick hit from a thunderstorm on Monday afternoon, and that type of weather is not done with us yet. Environment Canada is tracking more storms with the potential to bring a lot of rain, and something more dramatic.

Prince Albert and Melfort are in the path of a band of weather that could bring large hail, heavy rain, and forceful gusts of wind. That weather could start hitting Prince Albert in the early afternoon, and would continue well into the evening.

“There are thunderstorm watches in effect for the area already,” said Justin Shelley, meteorologist with Environment Canada. “We’re tracking some thunderstorms that are moving west into the region. We’ll keep an eye out for those as the day progresses, as those could become severe.”

According to Shelley, the cold front driving these storms has already passed through the North Battleford area, which might mean they missed the worst of it. They could still see rain, however, and Prince Albert, Nipawin and Melfort aren’t out of the woods yet.

“That threat area is just approaching Prince Albert this morning and will progress further east later in the afternoon,” said Shelley.

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This would be the second day in a row the region has seen some heavy rain, though the storm that hit Prince Albert yesterday hit fairly quickly and left just as fast.

“We did see some pretty widespread thunderstorms yesterday afternoon,” said Shelley. “It pretty much spanned across central Alberta from Lloydminster east to Prince Albert. It pretty much stayed north of Melfort, north of North Battleford itself, but we did see some severe reports come out of that region.”

Nipawin took some damage from a storm on June 5, and another storm may be hot on its heels. (Submitted Photo/Jenn Warnock)

Quarter-sized hail and, further north, wind damage were part of the storm activity. Some of that wind damage is under investigation to see if a tornado was involved, but there were no reports of one for the regions in the central part of the province.

“As for today, it looks like the primary threat through the North Battleford to Melfort region will be heavy rain, large hail, and gusts of wind,” Shelley said. “Potentially up to toonie-sized or slightly larger hail and gusting winds up to 80 kilometers per hour.”

Environment Canada shows Prince Albert and Melfort are under a severe thunderstorm watch, with both cities having a 60 per cent chance of rain.

Shelley added while the rain is being blown in by a cold front, temperatures will remain well above average for the rest of the week. A heat warning may come back into effect towards the end of the weekend.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP