Prairie Weather (Rural Roots Canada) – Much needed rain falls in two of the three prairie provinces.
Thursday
Alberta
Thursday brought a return of active weather to Alberta, with rain, thunderstorms, and a slight chance of severe weather. The animated map below shows a system developing near Jasper early in the morning, then quickly intensifying as it moves south through Alberta Thursday and Friday. By the end of the loop, it’s Sunday, and the system is in eastern Manitoba, with another one forming near Jasper, to follow the same path next week.
This system could produce up to 30 mm of rain in parts of southern Alberta on Thursday. However the rainfall won’t be distributed evenly, and some areas may get more than others. Thunderstorms are likely to form in the southern part of the province. These storms are packing enough energy to produce large hail. Around southeastern Alberta, there’s also a chance for funnel clouds to form. With the rain, highs in southern agricultural regions will only reach 10 to 15 degrees. In the Peace region and across northern Alberta, where it will be drier, it will also be warmer, with highs reaching the mid to high 20s.
Saskatchewan
The “arctic” high pressure system that dominated Saskatchewan’s weather Tuesday and Wednesday, lingers on Thursday, but disturbances will go through the ridge, providing some rain to the Cypress Hills in the afternoon, then moving east along the US border through the evening. Pop-up showers can be expected in central Saskatchewan throughout the day, but there won’t be any organized, significant rainfall. It will remain quite cool, though, with highs of 15 to 20 in southern Saskatchewan. To the north, it will be warmer, with highs in the low to mid 20s.
Manitoba
As the high pressure system moves south, it leaves behind cooler than average weather for Manitoba. No precipitation is expected anywhere in the province on Thursday, but there will be increasing cloud as the day goes on. Highs should reach the high teens to low 20s in agricultural areas.
Friday
Things settle down a bit across the Prairies, but a large weather system from the Gulf of Alaska will start creeping closer to British Columbia. It won’t directly impact the Prairies yet, but it’s setting the stage for more active weather over the weekend.
Alberta
The rain that began in southern Alberta Thursday will be gone by Friday morning. Expect midday sun as high pressure rebuilds over Saskatchewan, clearing the sky across most of the prairies. The dry weather will be short lived, as a surface low develops north of Jasper, and rain begins in the afternoon along the Rockies and the foothills. By evening, the rain will spread eastward across central and southern Alberta, intensifying through the night. Ahead of the wet weather, highs across the province will climb to the mid to high 20s, with some areas in the far north potentially reaching 30.
Saskatchewan
With high pressure continuing to linger over Saskatchewan, it will be a quiet weather day, with a mainly sunny sky across the entire province. With some instability, there is a chance of pop up showers and storms in east central Saskatchewan, close to the Manitoba boundary. Friday’s highs should reach the low to mid 20s.
Manitoba
Highs in western Manitoba should reach the low 20s. As high pressure in Saskatchewan continues to dominate the weather across the prairies, only a few showers or thundershowers are possible in the interlake, with conditions remaining dry elsewhere. No organized precipitation, and no significant rainfall accumulations are anticipated.
Saturday
Alberta
It will be a wet morning in much of central and southeastern Alberta. A low centered over Edmonton will spread rain northwest to Grande Centre, with significant accumulations possible. Thunderstorms are likely, and some could turn severe. That same low will also produce rain to the southeast from Edmonton to Medicine Hat, with heavy rain possible between Edmonton and Stettler. By noon, the Low moves into the Medicine Hat area, and the rainfall continues, though pushing eastward toward Saskatchewan. Later in the afternoon, scattered showers and storms will likely form across most of southern Alberta. With all this wet weather, it will be cool across central Alberta, highs of only 10 to 15 degrees. Before the rain expands late in the day to southern Alberta, highs in the area should reach the mid 20s.
Saskatchewan
Rain will push into the province from west to east, originating with a Low in Alberta that will travel from Edmonton to Medicine Hat through the day. By noon, the rain will be close to Moose Jaw, reaching Regina in the afternoon. Thunderstorms are possible. The map below shows rainfall totals between 6:00 pm Friday and 6:00 pm Saturday:
The map is valid at 6:00 pm Saturday. After that time, rain will continue to progress eastward to Moosomin by midnight. Where it rains, high temperatures will reach only 10-15 degrees. It will be somewhat warmer in the southwest, and the north, where highs will climb to the mid 20s.
Manitoba
As the map above shows, Manitoba will be dry on Saturday, with highs across the province in the mid to high 20s. High pressure centered over the interlake will keep the province dry and mainly sunny throughout the day.
Sunday
Wet weather continues in Alberta and Saskatchewan on Sunday. Significant rain will fall in parts of south central Alberta, and in central and southern Saskatchewan, while Manitoba will have another dry day – except along the Saskatchewan boundary. The map below shows rain totals expected between 6:00 pm Saturday and 6:00 pm Sunday:
Temperatures will be cooler than long term averages, with highs in the mid teens across the rainy regions. Manitoba’s highs will peak in the low to mid 2os.
SEE: Mitigating the Effect of Weather During Haying Season
