Mild fall weather expected to continue in Saskatchewan: Meteorologist

Saskatchewan has been treated to a mild fall so far, and that trend is expected to continue.

Even with the potential for snowfall between Tuesday and Wednesday, temperatures are expected to quickly rocket back up to highs in the low double digits, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

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Meteorologist James Colangelo said not a lot of snow is expected this week.

“We have an Alberta Clipper that’s going to be moving into the western part of the province,” said Colangelo. “At this point the Leader and Shaunavon area… could see potentially five centimetres or more.”

Snowfall warnings were in currently in place on Monday for the RM of Maple Creek, including Cypress Hills Provincial Park. Residents in that area could see 10 to 15 centimetres of snow by Tuesday night.

The southwest part of the province, including Shaunavon and Leader, could see around five centimetres of snow.

Snow is expected in #Sask on Monday night/Tuesday morning, as a low pressure system from Alberta moves across the region.
While most areas can expect between 2-5cm of snow, upslope northerly winds over the Cypress Hills will see around 15cm in the Maple Creek area ⤵️ @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/kTDhPKPztO

— Alex Brown (@AlexBrownYXE) November 4, 2024

Colangelo said Regina and Saskatoon could see some precipitation as well, either in the form of rain or very light snow.

“We’re not expecting any significant amounts for the cities at this time,” said Colangelo.

With temperatures warming up right after the expected snowfall, the meteorologist said he doesn’t expect to see any snow stick around on the ground.

“With those temperatures, you could expect quite a bit of melting,” said Colangelo. “Hopefully that’ll be enough to get rid of the snow.”

As for the warmer temperatures Colangelo said they are well above the seasonal average.

“It’s definitely warmer than normal,” said Colangelo. “It’s not unusual at this time of year you kind of get these Alberta Clippers that kind of do some funky things with the temperature.”

Saskatchewan is expected to see a weak version of a La Niña in the coming months, meaning winter could be very mild this year.

Climatologist says this week’s snow could serve as a reminder

David Phillips, Environment Canada’s senior climatologist, told Evan Bray Show guest host Brent Loucks that the snowfall this week will serve as a reminder from nature that winter is creeping closer.

“Saying ‘All right, get your snow tires on, put your lawn furniture away, find out where the snow shovel is,’ and then we’re going to go back into summer-like temperatures in the double digits,” Phillips explained.

Listen to the full interview with David Phillips:

Phillips explained that the snow is not necessarily an indication that extremely cold temperatures are on the way.

“We know that it’s going to get colder,” he said. “You’re not going to keep that snow away, but my gosh it doesn’t mean that you’re going to go into a polar vortex.”

Phillips added that November and December are expected to be warmer than normal in Saskatchewan.

“My sense is that the first beginning of winter, at least, is going to be not tough at all, and there will be moments for the snowmobilers, the cross country skiers, to enjoy what they like to do,” he said.

“But right now it’s about saving money on your home heating bill and not having to spin your tires.”

The climatologist said so far this fall Saskatchewan has only had about a third as many days below freezing as the province typically sees at this time of year.

Phillips said many people have the mindset that warm weather early in the season is essentially a bill they’ll have to pay by living through extreme cold later in the season, but that’s not necessarily the case.

“It doesn’t work that way. Sometimes all the good news  continues.”

The latest information on weather alerts can be found on Environment Canada’s website.

–with files from 650 CKOM’s Alex Brown and 980 CJME’s Abby Zieverink