Winter-like start to the week expected in Saskatchewan; snowfall warnings in the east

It will be a wintery start to the week in Saskatchewan.

As of Sunday, snowfall warnings have been issued in the areas around Yorkton, Moosomin, Melfort, Humboldt, Kamsack, Hudson Bay and Pelican Narrows.

David Baggaley, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said in an interview that those areas can expect the snow to hit hard and fast.

“The biggest issue is that it’s going to snow heavily today. It’s going to come down pretty quickly. It will be a quick change to the weather, so travel in that part of the province … It’s probably going to be quite tricky today,” he explained.

In the northeast, he’s predicting 15 to 25 centimetres, or six to 10 inches of snow. In the southeast and central-east, he’s forecasting 10 to 15 centimetres, or four to six inches.

The heaviest snow will come from a weather system throughout Sunday. A second, less-severe system will hit more of the province late Monday and Tuesday.

In both Regina and Saskatoon, temperatures are well below normal and there are good chances of either rain or snow.

In Regina, the temperature is expected to fall to 1 C in the afternoon. The average daily high for this time of year is above 9 C.

In Saskatoon, the temperature will hold steady at about 2 C. The average daily high for this time of year is above 9 C.

“It’s a little bit late in the season, (but) springtime is always the changeable season. Just about anything can happen, of course. We’re always hoping that we’d be done with winter by now, though,” Baggaley said.