Chance of severe storms with hot humid weather in southern Sask.

As the temperature climbs into the 30 C range, southern Saskatchewan has the potential to see some severe thunderstorms.

Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch on Wednesday for southeast and south central Saskatchewan, including Regina.

CJME Weather Specialist John Wilson said he won’t rule out the chance of a thunderstorm late Wednesday afternoon with heat and high humidity. But Thursday has the potential for more severe weather.

“Really it’s tomorrow, 32 degrees, more humid, a fair bit of moisture down at the surface streaming over the mountains and into southern Saskatchewan,” Wilson said on the CJME Morning Show on Wednesday. “We’ll have to keep a pretty close eye out tomorrow afternoon.”

There wasn’t much of a winter but it seems like summer could be a different story. Already in early spring, warm temperature records were being broken.

With the mercury continuing to rise, it seems the summer storm season may start early too.

Tornado hunter Greg Johnson is back on the prairies predicting Thursday and Saturday as days that could see conditions ripe for tornadoes.

“We are starting to see the winds blowing in from the south and that is going to bring some moist air from the US,” Johnson explained. “When we get that moist air and we get these 30 degree temperatures it’s really the right mix that’s required for that severe weather and if we get just the right conditions in the sky that is when we can have tornadoes.”

Johnson admits he gets excited for weather like this and is in his truck with his crew chasing and learning more about these destructive weather patterns while most other people are heading for shelter indoors.

But he believes most prairie people share a fascination and connection to the weather.

“You know, we all kind of hang on a little bit of a cliffhanger whenever there’s these kinds of storms come through,” Johnson said. “Particularly people who live on the prairies who literally live and breathe and survive by the weather – when it comes to being a farmer, weather determines when you plant your crops and when you harvest them.”