Prairie Weather (Rural Roots Canada} – Waiting for the Rain
Most of the crop is in, now we wait for the rain to help with germination and emergence. Instead of rain clouds, though, forest fire smoke fills much of the sky over the prairies, as seen in this Highway Hotline image from Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan:
The good news is…rain is expected in this area, and across much of Saskatchewan and most of Manitoba this weekend. Agricultural Alberta, though, will be left out.
Thursday
Alberta and Saskatchewan
Warmer weather returns to Alberta and Saskatchewan Thursday, as high temperatures reach the mid twenties. Mainly sunny conditions are expected, but there may be just enough heat to make the atmosphere unstable, bringing back the risk of afternoon showers and storms, particularly over southeastern Saskatchewan. If there are showers, they will be scattered. If there are storms, they will be weak. There is no threat of severe weather.
Manitoba
High pressure will develop over Lake Winnipeg, and the sinking air associated with the high should prevent convection in most areas. So, the province should stay dry. There is a possibility of weak showers or thunderstorms in southwestern Manitoba in the afternoon. Any showers or storms will be rather weak, and the chance of further activity will diminish as the sun goes down. Highs in southern Manitoba’s agricultural regions should reach the mid 20s on Thursday.
Friday
Alberta
A Low pressure system developing over Great Slave Lake will put Alberta in a westerly flow, with a mix of sun and cloud. That will bring warm and dry weather to the province with high temperatures reaching the high 20s. The Low, though, isn’t sitting still. It moves to the southeast during the day, sending rain into northern Alberta, and creating strong wind gusts in the Alberta foothills north of highway 16 into the BC Peace region. No precipitation is expected for Alberta’s agricultural regions.
Saskatchewan
The southern half of the province will be partly cloudy with a southwest wind, and in the north, with a light and variable wind, expect mainly cloudy conditions. In the afternoon, a weak Low will form on the boundary with the Northwest Territories, and spread cloud into central and southwestern Saskatchewan. Rain will reach the northern forests, but otherwise it will be a dry day across the province. In the south, high temperatures will reach the high 20s, while in the north, highs will be closer to the low to mid twenties.
Manitoba
It will be dry all day in the agricultural regions of southern Manitoba, as rain develops in the far north, along a warm front coming from a Low in northern Saskatchewan. This is well away from agricultural interests. Expect highs in the mid twenties across southern Manitoba.
Saturday
Alberta
A low that developed in northern Saskatchewan Friday will strengthen Saturday morning as it moves closer to northern Manitoba. It will spread rain along a trough back into northeastern Alberta. A second area of showers will develop in east central Alberta near the Saskatchewan line early in the morning. This is the only agricultural region to get any rainfall out of this, and it won’t be a meaningful amount of precipitation. In the afternoon, as the parent Low moves into Manitoba, the rain in Alberta drifts eastward into Saskatchewan, replaced by a clearing sky and a northwest wind. Temperatures will be close to long term averages. In central Alberta, highs will reach only the high teens, and in southern Alberta, it will warm to the low 20s.
Saskatchewan
It will be a rainy day in Saskatchewan, as moisture circulating around a low pressure system will provide light rain in the south, and heavier rain in the northern part of the province. The low is the one that developed in northern regions Friday. It moves into Manitoba Saturday, circulating rain back into Saskatchewan. In the south, the rain will carry on through the morning and midday, ending in the afternoon. In the north, the rain will be an all day event, with the heaviest rainfall happening north of Saskatoon. The low is not only pushing rain into the province – it is also generating a northwesterly wind, which will keep temperatures across Saskatchewan below 20 degrees.
Manitoba
The low from northern Saskatchewan moves into northern Manitoba Saturday, with rain spreading out across the entire province The rain arrives in the afternoon, and carries on into Saturday, providing ample moisture for the emergence of newly seeded crops. The heaviest rain is expected in the Interlake and southern Manitoba. The map below shows accumulated rainfall by early Monday morning:
East of the Red River Valley on Saturday, temperatures should reach the high 20s. Elsewhere, high teens and low twenties are more likely.
Sunday
Alberta
With high pressure building in the Rockies between Banff and Jasper, Sunday will be a sunny day all across Alberta, with no wet weather of any kind. The wind will remain out of the north, which will prevent a truly hot day from developing. Highs across Alberta will reach the mid twenties, perhaps just a few degrees warmer than average.
Saskatchewan
The Low that moved into Manitoba from Saskatchewan on Saturday, will spin around that province Sunday, pushing rain back into the eastern half of Saskatchewan through the day. Refer to the map above to check out expected rainfall by Monday morning. Parts of eastern and northwestern Saskatchewan can expect a fair soaking, whereas southwestern portions of the province will remain dry. Highs will reach the high teens across most of the province, but along the Manitoba boundary, in places like Yorkton, Esterhazy, and Preeceville, high temperatures won’t be high at all, sticking close to just 10 degrees.
Manitoba
Sunday will be a rainy day across Manitoba, as the low pressure system that came into the province on Saturday spins in place, dropping rain across most of the province. Again, the map above shows expected accumulations to early Monday morning. By late afternoon, the centre of low pressure moves into northwestern Ontario, but there is still plenty of rain for the southern half of Manitoba. That rain will continue through the night into Monday morning, though it will taper off. It will be a wet, cool day, with highs across Manitoba only getting to the 10-15 degree range.
COMPARE: Prairie Weather This Week – May 26
