Spring storm to bring high winds, rainfall to Saskatchewan on Thursday

In the north central portion of the province, winds will gust up to 70 kilometres per hour on Thursday afternoon. The forecast calls for up to 30 millimeters of rain over Thursday and Friday for Meadow Lake, North Battleford and Prince Albert. Melfort will receive about 10 mms less precipitation. In La Ronge, the rainfall warning says localized total amounts of rain will be 15 to 30 mm. Rain in all areas will continue into tonight before changing over to snow.

“Each subsequent model run wants to kind of push the snow a little bit farther south, but so we may see some flakes even through the northern Grain Belt,” Lang explained. “We know that Lakeland areas will probably see snow.”

Lang listed Prince Albert, Meadow Lake and Hudson Bay as areas likely to see some snow, but said that weather will likely be more concentrated in the but it’s most of the snow will be concentrated more sort of towards pine house, towards areas like Pinehouse, Wollaston Lake and Reindeer Lake.

“But people, especially if they’re going up to their cottages in the Lakeland area, shouldn’t be surprised if they see snow coming down,” Lang warned.

Snow could be on the horizon for the Saskatoon area, as well. Snow mixed with rain is possible around Saturday morning, but the Saskatoon area is expecting to see more rain – between 20 and 25 millilitres or an inch to an inch-and-a-half – according to Lang, in addition to the strong winds expected.

“It’s not going to be the most pleasant of days,” Lang forecasted. “I don’t want people to be alarmed about that. The temperature will be close to freezing, and the roads should be warm enough so it shouldn’t accumulate, but people shouldn’t be shocked if they do see that.”

There still being cold air in the north is what distinguishes this system from a typical summer storm, she explained, saying that if this storm were to happen in June, winds would still likely be present – potentially culminating in tornado activity – with heavier rains up north instead of snow and likely severe thunderstorms.

“I know all the storm chasers are champing at the bit,” Lang joked. “The one thing that we’re missing is moisture through the whole the whole atmosphere, and we usually count on that coming up from the States and also from the crops that are growing.

“Our crops aren’t growing yet, so we don’t have that source of moisture.”

Lang said the high wind speeds could cause power outages and might make towing certain vehicles difficult on highways. She recommended securing things around the home, like garbage cans, recycling bins and lawn furniture, in preparation for the storm. Small tree branches could also break off, and the dryness of the season so far might make for lots of dust swirling in the air.

“With these really, really strong winds, and we haven’t greened up yet, we could see some reduced areas, like with blowing dust even tomorrow, just because the winds are going to be so strong,” Lang explained.

The latest updates on the weather alerts can be found on Environment Canada’s website.

by CJME/paNOW

Spring storm to bring high winds, rainfall to Saskatchewan on Thursday

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