Additional soggy weather is good news for drought-stricken Prairies
An active pattern that brought snow this week will continue into the weekend and beyond with additional rounds of precipitation for areas that need it
Winter weather is a way of life on the Prairies—even this deep into spring.
An active pattern that brought Alberta its first tornado of the season also blanketed parts of the province with a healthy dollop of snowfall. Expect tricky travel in areas contending with snow-covered roads into Friday.
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Additional wet weather is on the way heading into this weekend, which is beneficial for the region before we enter the summer season.
Wet, chilly end to the week for parts of the region
Precipitation that fell as snow in Alberta on Thursday will change over to rain as it pushes east into Saskatchewan and Manitoba on Friday.
Portions of Saskatchewan could see 10-30 mm in the gauges by the time the rain subsides on Friday evening.
Even as the bulk of the precipitation falls as rain, it’s still going to be quite chilly for early May. Temperatures will come in nearly 15 degrees below seasonal for parts of southern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta on Friday.
Weekend and beyond: More beneficial precipitation on the way
The prospect of more rain this weekend and into next week may not be welcome news for folks hoping to head outdoors, but it’s good news for farmers and anyone keeping tabs on the region’s wildfire danger ratings.
An upper-level low will continue slowly pivoting over the central Prairies into this weekend, bringing a mixed bag of precipitation that could last into early next week.
Looking into the long-range forecast, another potent system aiming the Prairies could provide additional moisture to dampen ongoing concerns over wildfires and drought.
Given the recent rain and snow, next week’s anticipated update of the drought monitor for the month of April could show improvement across the region. The fire danger risk already looks very different than it did this time last week.
WATCH: Snow blankets southern Alberta to kick off month of May
Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on the forecast across the Prairies.
