Brace yourself – snow is in the forecast for southeast Saskatchewan
So far this fall we’ve been lucky to have warm temperatures, just a little light frost and generally pleasant conditions, but things are a bit more unsettled and chilly this week. Today, an incoming Colorado low is set to impact the prairies bringing heavy rainfall to the east and a mixture to the west. And by mixture, I’m talking rain, snow and freezing rain. And the exact amounts in the mix are still a little tricky since this system has a rain-snow boundary that has quite a bit of model variation.
The system in question is a Colorado low that is pushing up from the south bringing quite a bit of precipitation and messy conditions. Currently, the warmer air, higher amounts of moisture and therefore higher amounts of rainfall are positioned over Manitoba on the eastern side of the system. Some areas in southern Manitoba may see up to 50 millimetres of rain. On the western side of the low, through southeast Saskatchewan, colder air looks to be positioned and the chance for snow is higher, mixed with rain and freezing rain.
Why is there such uncertainty with the amount of accumulation? Well, temperatures look to hover around freezing for most of the day, and highs are set to be around 5 degrees Celsius for most communities in southeast Saskatchewan.
So, it is difficult to say for certain exactly where the cold air will position itself over the next couple of days. What this means is that some models are keeping things a few degrees colder and giving higher snowfall amounts as predictions, while other models are predicting mostly rain with next to no snowfall at all. Either way, all models are predicting something falling from the sky.
One thing I will say though is that currently, accumulations don’t look to be as extreme as our southern neighbours. Montana and Colorado had weather warnings including winter storm warnings in effect on Tuesday with some areas expecting to see up to 20 centimetres of snowfall (or 8 inches by the warnings). Meanwhile, here in southeast Saskatchewan, current model runs are pushing out snowfall totals up to 15 centimetres, but they could be higher or lower as well.
If you want a prediction, right now it looks like places like Assiniboia, Rockglen and Moose Jaw are likely to see around 4 to 8 centimetres, but the accumulation could be up to 15 centimetres in some areas, particularly the further west you go. Meanwhile, Regina is most likely to see 1-2 centimetres mixed with 5-10 millimetres of rain but could see up to 3-6 centimetres of snow. Estevan and Weyburn on the other hand may see 1-2 centimetres of snow, but rain looks higher there with up to 30 millimetres possible. But, like I keep saying these numbers are could change as this low pushes in and hangs around until clearing on Friday.
The one thing that is certain with this system is that conditions along the TransCanada are likely to be messy. This means that if you are set to be driving or travelling, give yourself a few extra minutes and drive carefully as conditions can change rapidly including visibility and road condition. Stay safe everyone, fall and winter are just getting started and we’ll see more snow in the coming weeks and months.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Israel gave U.S. last-minute warning about drone attack on Iran, Italian foreign minister says at G7
The United States told the Group of Seven foreign ministers on Friday that it received 'last minute' information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, but didn't participate in the apparent attack, officials said.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.