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Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist, Terri Lang, has forecasted a lot of snow on the way for southern Saskatchewan.
Snow has already fallen in the northern parts of Saskatchewan, with Candle Lake and surrounding areas reporting eight inches or about 20 centimetres of snow on Wed, April 15.
According to Lang, in and around Regina, snow will begin overnight with anywhere from 15 to 25 cm expected to fall.
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“So, by the time people wake up in the morning, the snow will be in full swing,” she said.
Regina is one of the cities expected to get hit hardest, according to Lang, with others including Kindersley and Moose Jaw. She said all three of those communities are part of the heaviest band of snow that’s predicted to move northwest to southeast.
In comparison, the weather system likely won’t hit Saskatoon until the late morning or early afternoon, Lang said. It’s not expected to bring as much snow, with only 10 to 15 cm predicted.
Though the amount differs between the two major cities, she said people need to take this particular system seriously.
“It’s a Montana Low and these ones tend to be big weather-makers, meaning they bring … wet, heavy snows,” she said.
Even though it’s halfway through April, this will be the second big snow dump of the month. Though, Lang said that isn’t uncommon.
“We know that April is a very snowy month,” she said. “We’re still dealing with that cold air to the north and, of course, the warm air is trying to come up from the south. When you combine those two, that’s when you can get the heavier snowfalls and those are common in the spring and in the fall.”
This isn’t necessarily the last snowfall of the spring, either.
“I’m not a fool. I’m not going to say this is the last one, because we know what the weather’s like in Saskatchewan,” Lang said.
Spring snowstorm preparation underway: City of Saskatoon
While Saskatoon’s snowfall isn’t expected to be quite as heavy as Regina’s, the city is still preparing for the coming snow event.
“Snowfall is anticipated to be steady and rapidly accumulating through the day Thursday, with gusty winds creating areas of blowing snow and reduced visibility. Heavier snow is expected to taper off Thursday evening, with light flurries possible into Friday morning,” the City of Saskatoon stated in a release, referencing the 10-15 cm predicted by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
In a release on Wednesday, the city advised residents should anticipate “slower travel and changing road conditions” due to the expected snow amount and blowing snow. Drivers are being encouraged to watch conditions, leave for destinations with extra travel time allotted and follow other vehicles at a safe distance for the conditions.
City plows, graders and sanders will be out, focusing first on priority streets like Circle Drive and Idylwyld Drive.
“Crews will continue working through the day as conditions evolve,” the city said in its statement, adding that drivers can watch for the blue and amber lights of snow-clearing vehicles to best stay out of the way of operators while they work.
The city’s operational planning will consider the warmer temperatures forecasted after the storm. Those temperatures are expected to assist with the melting of the snow. Crews working on the storm efforts will “balance immediate safety needs with efficient use of resources while maintaining safe driving conditions across the city,” according to the city.
Residents can follow snow grading progress online if a snow event is declared. Further information on the city’s winter road maintenance service level is also available online.
The city warned that Saskatoon Transit will monitor and adjust its service as needed, noting that service can be delayed or interrupted when collisions, blown snow preventing road access and inaccessible bus stops due to snowfall and drifts occur.
Storm forecast intensified since Wednesday morning
Initially, a dramatic shift in the weather was forecasted for Wednesday night, bringing in rain and snow to a large area of central and southern Saskatchewan, including the province’s two largest cities.
Environment Canada issued a special weather statement on Wednesday morning, warning that while the day will be a pleasant one in most parts of the province, that’s likely to change quickly overnight as a late-season winter storm blows in.
The warning area stretched from the Alberta border to the Manitoba border and as far north as Rosthern and Blaine Lake, though the southwestern corner of the province wasn’t included.
“Generally, when the precipitation begins overnight, it will be snow for most portions of southern Saskatchewan, however in some places, it may fall as rain before transitioning to snow,” the statement read.
“The snowfall amounts may vary considerably and there is a high amount of uncertainty as to where the heaviest bands of snowfall will occur.”
Environment Canada also warned of a band of freezing rain in southern Saskatchewan, between the U.S. border and the Trans-Canada Highway.
Rose Carlsen, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said some parts of the province may see between five and 10 cm of snow, but she noted that warm air accompanying the system into the province from Alberta and Montana is making the storm a challenge for forecasters to predict.
“Because there’s warm air coming up with it, it’s going to create a pretty uncertain scenario for what the precipitation type is going to be, and also where the heaviest bands of snow are going to fall,” Carlsen explained.
She said the forecast and weather alerts may change throughout the day, and encouraged the public to keep an eye out for the latest updates.
“I would definitely advise people to be paying attention, as much as possible, to what the forecast says,” the meteorologist said.
The system will bring a “stark turnaround” from the mild spring weather much of the province has been seeing, Carlsen said, with the rest of the week expected to be much cooler.
“The snow won’t stick around for a long time, but it will probably be here at least through the end of the week,” she said.
Much of central and southern Saskatchewan were covered by a special weather statement ahead of a storm expected to move into the province on Wednesday night, and a snowfall warning was in effect for parts of northeastern Saskatchewan. (Environment Canada)
Snow was already falling on Wednesday morning in parts of northeastern Saskatchewan around Deschambault Lake, north of Nipawin, where as much as 20 cm of snow is expected and a snowfall warning from Environment Canada was in effect.
“Snow will continue today with the heaviest accumulations expected over southern regions including Cumberland Sound,” the weather service said in a statement.
“Travel will likely be challenging. Visibility will likely be reduced at times. Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions.”
The Saskatchewan Highway Hotline was recommending against travel on Wednesday morning for some routes in the Nipawin area, along with some highways northeast of the Battlefords, near Maidstone.
The latest updates on the weather alerts can be found on Environment Canada’s website, and current road conditions can be accessed through the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline.
–with files from 980 CJME’s Abby Zieverink and 650 CKOM’s Marija Robinson
