Wintry weather returns to Saskatchewan as wet snow threatens Sunday travel
A messy mix of cold rain and wet snow is expected in parts of Saskatchewan through Sunday, likely to make for slippery roads and difficult travel at times
Someone forgot to tell the atmosphere that it’s the middle of May.
A slug of snow is expected to build across portions of Saskatchewan on Sunday. Slick roads and sidewalks are possible in areas that pick up accumulation from this fresh burst of wintry precipitation.
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Snow to arrive on Sunday
The western half of Canada is in the midst of an unsettled pattern as an upper-level trough swings through the region. These patterns tend to bring below-seasonal temperatures, clouds, and precipitation to nearby communities.
Although precipitation will start as a cold rain, as we progress through Sunday morning, the tendency will be for precipitation to change over to wet snow, particularly across higher hills and terrain.
Temperatures in southern Saskatchewan will struggle to climb out of the single digits through the day Sunday, just chilly enough to bring a risk for wet snow through the day.
Highways impacted
The best opportunity for wintry precipitation is in the southwest corner of the province, as well as along the Yellowhead Highway between Saskatoon and Yorkton.
The Trans-Canada Highway between Maple Creek and Swift Current is forecast to see some localized snowfall accumulation through Sunday.
Areas farther north, along Highway 11, 6 and the Yellowhead, are also May snowfall targets.
Farther south, steady rains will fall across the southern one-third of Saskatchewan through Monday, with gauges locally picking up as much as 30 mm of additional precipitation through Monday.
How unusual is snow here in the middle of May?
Saskatoon, Regina, and Yorkton all average a couple of centimetres of snow during a typical May, according to the latest 1990-2010 climate normals. Kindersley reported 2.6 cm of snow in the midst of unseasonably cold weather on May 20, 2021.
Biggest May snowfalls in Saskatchewan on record
Yorkston: 19.2 cm - May 12, 1983
Kindersely: 14 cm - May 29, 1982
Saskatoon: 18.5 cm - May 10, 1953
Swift Current: 31.4 cm - May 28, 1982