Severe storms, heat, smoke forecast in Saskatchewan

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is again predicting a risk of severe thunderstorms in southeast Saskatchewan on Saturday afternoon.

ECCC said that any storms that develop will likely become severe quickly and pose an “all-hazard risk” with damaging wind and hail, torrential downpours, and a possible tornado.

“Oppressive heat” is also forecast for southern regions with daytime highs in the low 30s in  southeast Saskatchewan today, accompanied by increasing humidity, resulting in in widespread humidex values in the upper 30s.

ECCC also said the system will be marked by a significant increase in dew point values which increases the possibility of torrential downpours.

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Severe thunderstorms have one or more of the following conditions when forecast for the Prairies:

• Wind gusts of 90 km/h or greater
• Hail of 2 cm or larger in diameter
• Heavy rainfall — when 50 mm or more is expected in one hour
• Tornado activity

Hail can damage property, break windows, dent vehicles and cause serious injury, ECCC says.

It also says that very strong wind gusts can damage buildings, down trees and blow large vehicles off the road.

During storm alerts heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads and water-related activities may be unsafe due to violent and sudden gusts of wind over bodies of water.

While the odds of getting struck by lightning are less than one in a million, lightning is also a danger.

The Government of Canada says that there are an average of between two and three lightning-related deaths and 80 lightning-related injuries across the country every year. Most injuries and fatalities occur between June and August, and most fatalities were people in open areas or taking shelter under a tree.

A cold front will bring seasonal conditions back to Saskatchewan on Sunday, ECCC added.

The smoky air that hit Saskatoon earlier this week has retreated north, where a number of communities still have air quality advisories. (Taylor MacPherson/650 CKOM)

Air quality alerts

The smoky air that invaded the central and southern parts of the province has retreated north, where a number of communities are under air quality advisories.

There were 68 active fires burning in Saskatchewan on Sunday, all in the northern half of the province.

Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said in its daily report on Aug. 24 that 10 of the blazes were not contained, firefighters were working to protect property at 18 locations and 34 of the fires were under ongoing assessment. Six fires were considered contained.

There have been 517 fires recorded in the province in 2024, while the 5-year average sits at 343.

There are also a number of fire bans in effect in the province. A map with banned areas can be found here.

ECCC says that air quality and reduced visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour.

“Wildfire smoke can be harmful to everyone’s health even at low concentrations,” the alerts say.

“People with lung disease (such as asthma) or heart disease, older adults, children, pregnant people and people who work outdoors are at higher risk of experiencing health effects caused by wildfire smoke.”

Environment and Climate Change Canada is advising anyone experiencing shortness of breath, wheezing, severe cough, dizziness or chest pains to stop outdoor activities and contact a health care provider.

More information on air quality alerts for specific areas of the province is available at weather.gc.ca. Information is also available on the Saskatchewan Public Service Agency website at saskpublicsafety.ca and the SaskAlert app. The provincial air quality summary for Saskatchewan can be found here.

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