Winter weather changes on a dime in Saskatchewan. (Image Credit: Cam Lee/northeastNOW)

By Cam Lee

Gradual warming trend next week

Snow squall watch in effect; March not coming in like a lion this year

Feb 26, 2026 | 12:24 PM

Brief but intense bands of snow are expected this evening over west central Saskatchewan.

Snow squall bands will develop later this evening and track southeastward over Lloydminster, Kindersley, Battlefords, Meadow Lake, Prince Albert and Saskatoon, but La Ronge and Melfort both fall just out of the snow squall watch area issued by Environment Canada.

The squalls could reduce visibility to near zero at times in snow and blowing snow as winds gust up to 80 km/h. Conditions will improve overnight. Travel may be hazardous, so check the Highway Hotline before heading out.

Environment Canada issued a Snow Squall Watch advisory Thursday afternoon for the areas highlighted in yellow. (Image Credit: Screenshot/weather.gc.ca)

As the calendar turns to March, many are wondering what the weather will look like.

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Will it come in like a lion? 

Not so much, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Brian Proctor. 

“We’re doing that typical March thing – a slow transition into spring is probably the best thing to look at it,” Proctor told northeastNOW.  

Before we get to that point, there will be a couple of days of cooler weather Friday and Saturday. Nighttime lows should hover in the –25 C range for both nights. 

After the slight cooldown, temperatures should moderate and hover between –5 C and –10 C as March hits. 

“In general terms, very slow improvement is the best way to look at it.” 

Proctor said the models show that for the most part, that gradual improvement will be the story for the early part of March. 

Periods of snow are expected into Friday morning and that should return early next week. Proctor said we could expect about 5 to 10 cm Monday through Wednesday, but nothing to the extent we saw the previous week. There may also be some blowing snow in the near term, with wind gusts at 40 km/h or more at times today through tomorrow morning. 

March is generally a very interesting month weather-wise, Proctor said. It’s typically the month when we see a lot of the heaviest snowfall events, and Proctor said it’s agriculturally important to get as much of that snowpack in March and early April as possible. 

“It’s a very important month…from an agricultural point of view and a water availability point of view moving forward,” explained Proctor. Any snow that falls during that period may be an annoyance short-term, he said, but it’s good news in the long term. 

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cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com