Dry and Warm

Dry and warm weather will continue through the weekend for most of the prairies, as we’re outside of the main North American storm track, which is to the south and east of the region.  A secondary storm track will produce rain and snow near the 60th parallel.   The map below shows precipitation from Saturday night to Sunday evening.   This will be the most active day during the forecast period.  Considerable rainfall is noted in central and west central Alberta.

Thursday

 Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba

Expect a sunny, warm, and rather uneventful day across the prairies on Thursday.  Circulation around a Low in the Gulf of Alaska will drive mild air across Alberta and Saskatchewan from the south.  In Manitoba, a low that forms south of The Pas will generate a westerly wind across the southern part of the province.  The weather will be dry, with highs in the low teens. Most of Alberta and Saskatchewan will reach the mid to high teens.   High teen temperatures can bet expected north of Edmonton, in the Grande Prairie area, and just northeast of Saskatoon.      There will be no significant precipitation across the prairies on Thursday.

Friday

Alberta

A southerly wind brings more mild air into Alberta on Friday, and most of the province will remain under a clear, blue sky.   However, a Low pressure system forms in the BC Peace region, and that will spread moisture inro northwestern Alberta in the evening and overnight.   The rest of the province will stay dry and very warm, with high temperatures reaching the high teens or even the low 20s across Alberta.

Saskatchewan

Highs in the high teens will provide another warm day in Saskatchewan.   The wind will come from the south, and could be brisk.   There will be no significant precipitation.

Manitoba

Other than a bit of snow along the Hudson Bay coast, it will be a dry, and sunny day in Manitoba, with highs in the mid to high teens.   It will be a bit cooler (low teens), west of  MacGregor.

Saturday

Some of the warmest weather of the year so far will reach the prairies on the weekend.  Temperatures will rise to the low 20s in central Alberta and Saskatchewan on Saturday.   High pressure over the prairies keeps any disturbed weather well to the north, with perhaps a few showers in northern Saskatchewan, and snow north of the 60th parallel.  There is a chance of some freezing rain in the far northern regions of Manitoba.  For the agricultural areas of all three prairie provinces, there won’t be any significant moisture on Saturday.   A weak system will develop near Jasper in the afternoon, and may kick off some rain showers.   That precipitation will intensify and spread east overnight.    And while most of Alberta and Saskatchewan will be quite warm as earlier mentioned, Manitoba will be slightly cooler, with 20 degrees out of reach for most areas.

Sunday

Alberta

The disturbance that will develop in the Jasper area Saturday will intensify in the morning, bringing snow to the foothills between Nordegg and Grande Prairie.   The snow will weaken and change to rain as it warms up in the afternoon.  To the east, showers will develop north of Edmonton, and northeast to Cold Lake.  Those showers will continue into the early evening.  Meanwhile, back west, the moisture over the foothills will spread south to the US border, for the most part staying west of the Cowboy Trail.   The rain and snowfall will be enhanced over the higher terrain by circulation around a high pressure system in the Territories north of Saskatchewan.    Given its origin, this will be a circulation of cooler air, so temperatures will drop noticeably on Sunday, with highs between 5 and 10 degrees in central Alberta, and even cooler over the snowy and rainy areas of the foothills.   Away from the precipitation, southeastern Alberta will have another dry day with temperatures reaching the high teens or low twenties.

Saskatchewan

A Low pressure system in northern Manitoba will spawn a weak cold front that moves north to south across Saskatchewan on Sunday.   Central and northern regions should see some showers by midday,  and more showers will develop in the south in the afternoon, and continue overnight.  There will be an abundance of clouds, and the wind will generally come from the north.   While all this seems a recipe for cold weather,  highs in southern Saskatchewan are still expected to reach the mid to high teens, with cooler weather north of Saskatoon, on the north side of the cold front.

Manitoba

A Low pressure system and its trailing cold front will create some rain just  north of Lake Winnipeg, and snow in the northern third of the province.   In the agricultural south, expect another dry day with partly cloudy conditions.   Afternoon showers are possible in the Whiteshell.   West of the Red River, temperatures will climb into the mid to high teens,  with low teens expected east of the Red.

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