The northeast will likely see the rain turn to snow overnight into Wednesday. (File photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Cam Lee

Winter conditions returning

Shovels stand by: Northeast likely to see some snow accumulations

Apr 16, 2024 | 1:00 PM

Melfort and the northeast can expect some significant precipitation over the coming days.

That includes another taste of winter.

Brian Proctor of Environment and Climate Change Canada told northeastNOW the northeast will have the best chance of snowfall accumulation over the next couple of days compared to the rest of the province.

Rainfall will continue off-and-on over the rest of the day, with gusty wind conditions coming from the northeast. That wind will pick up on Wednesday, gusting from 40 to 60 km/h, with the temperatures struggling just above freezing.

A low-pressure system tracking through the province is to blame.

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“It’s going to really pull cool air on the back side of it and allow that…precipitation to become a little more intense, a little bit steadier,” Proctor said.

The forecast models are showing discrepancies as to how much snow the northeast will see. Proctor said the Melfort area could see a couple of centimetres overnight, and about five centimetres tomorrow. Earlier models had upwards of 10 centimetres in the forecast.

“One of the issues associated with this system is that it’s very disorganized,” explained Proctor. He said snowfall amounts will be very localized, with some areas receiving a limited amount of snow, and others getting significant accumulations.

“It’s going to be highly variable, is probably the best way to look at it.”

Proctor said blowing and drifting snow likely won’t be a factor with the wet, sticky snow, despite the strong wind associated with this system. There may be visibility issues and slush buildup on roads due to the wet snow.

“The further you go to the northeast, the better the chance of seeing significant snowfall accumulations,” Proctor explained. “It’s definitely required from an agricultural point-of-view and from a forestry point-of-view moving forward. So we really do need it, and I think every bit that we can get will help.”

Temperatures will be near or slightly below zero Wednesday and Thursday, with seasonal values returning to seasonal values of around 11 degrees by the weekend.

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Cam.lee@northeastNOW.com

On X: northeastNOW_SK