Freezing rain, snowfall warnings issued for southern Saskatchewan

A low pressure system from Alberta is causing much of southern Saskatchewan to be blanketed with winter weather warnings.

The system ahead of a warm front will develop freezing rain over western sections Tuesday morning and into Regina in the afternoon.

Environment Canada’s Robyn Dyck said that areas near central Saskatchewan are not out of the woods completely.

“We have these northerly winds coming out of a ridge and it’s pretty cold air,” she said.

Dyck also said with the warm front and precipitation, it is causing the freezing rain.

“(It’s) pretty hazardous, especially what we’re expecting with this event because there’s a strong ty temperature gradient,” she said.

Dyck said it is anticipated that the freezing rain event will be quite prolonged.

“A lot of freezing rain events in the prairies are pretty short lived, an hour, two hours but this looks like a six to 12 hour event,” she said.

Dyck is also recommending for people to stay home if they can because the freezing rain could accumulate.

“That could make travelling very hazardous especially driving, even walking, lots of hazards with that,” she said.

Aside from the freezing rain warning there are also snowfall warnings in place for Yorkton and Humboldt areas.

“As you get into the colder air it’s not necessarily that freezing rain risk but a snow risk,” Dyck said.

She added that up to 10 cm is expected in those areas.

Dyck added that with this system it is expected to cool off slightly but only to average temperatures for this time of year.

Meanwhile, the Southeast corner in the province are not under the freezing rain and snowfall warnings.