Thunderstorm risk for the Prairies over the long weekend

Saturday, May 17, 2014, 1:21 PM -

Temperature-wise, Prairie-dwellers shouldn't expect much variation in temperatures this Victoria Day long weekend.

Aside from Calgary, most Prairie cities will be seeing seasonal temperatures over the next couple of days, but Albertans shouldn't count on clear skies for the whole weekend.

"For the long weekend, expect rain to move across the PRairies, starting in Alberta today and pushing east to Manitoba through the weekend," Weather Network meteorologist Monica Vaswani said Saturday morning.

Vaswani said the rain starts late in the day in Alberta, and the system will bring spotty showers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Thunderstorm risk will be highest in Alberta and the B.C. interior on Saturday.

On Sunday, as the system moves east, the risk of severe thunderstorms will stretch from Alberta into Saskatchewan as well.

There are currently no severe thunderstorm watches or warnings in place in the region, although Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for much of the Alberta foothills, warning of significant rainfall this long weekend.

"Currently, accumulations in the area from Kananaskis up to Nordegg and Rocky Mountain House are now expected to be between 30 and 50 mm," the agency says. "However due to the convective nature of the system and uncertainty in the exact track of the low, amounts of more than 50 mm are possible and warnings may be issued."

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