(Jaryn Vecchio/paNOW Staff)

By Nolan Kowal

Snowy weekend

Snow, freezing drizzle in central Sask weekend forecast

Nov 3, 2023 | 12:35 PM

A decent dumping of snow is expected to hit some parts of central and northern Saskatchewan this weekend.

Environment Canada is tracking a system moving eastward from British Columbia that could bring as much as 10 centimetres of snow to the Prince Albert area.

“It’s certainly going to be a bit of a messy weekend,” said Environment Canada Meteorologist Terri Lang. “Looks like P.A. will be more in the snow than the rain but certainly a possibility of freezing rain. Looks like snow will start later in the day on Saturday and continue through Sunday.”

“And it will be quite heavy snow so the moisture content is going to be quite high. It could be kind of that hard to shovel heart attack type snow, but good for snowmen,” Lang said.

The wintery weather could create hazardous driving conditions, especially with temperatures hovering around the zero mark all weekend.

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“Driving in and around the northern grain belt and especially areas to the east and southeast is going to be quite trying just because of the amount of snow expected and the possibility of freezing rain,” Lang said. “We know the hardest driving conditions are always right around the temperatures close to freezing because even though the air temperature might be at freezing, the ground temperature might be colder.”

“So some freeze-thawing going on, melting and then freezing of that, and then maybe some freezing rain on top of that, so it’s going to be messy for sure.”

The Melfort snow forecast is similar to Prince Albert, while in North Battleford, Meadow Lake, and La Ronge, the snow might not start until Sunday.

Lang also anticipates most of the snow that falls will stay on the ground rather than melt.

“For 10 centimetres worth and not really warm temperatures following, I think a fair portion of it will stick around,” Lang said. “I don’t see any big warm-ups coming up in behind. So whether it stays for the season or not remains to be seen.”

Lang also reminded drivers to take the proper measures for winter driving, including winter tires, an emergency kit, and checking the Highway Hotline.

“Maybe it looks okay out your window but where you’re going maybe conditions are a lot worse,” she said. “With what’s coming, again, people should be ready to postpone or cancel their travel, especially on Sunday.”

Temperatures in Prince Albert will continue to hover around the freezing mark into next week, according to the Environment Canada forecast.

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nolan.kowal@pattisonmedia.com