Residents across much of Saskatchewan can expect a late blast of winter Monday.
After temperatures in the mid-teens Sunday, the weather is set to take a turn Monday afternoon, and Environment Canada Meteorologist Jason Knight said this storm will pack quite the punch.
Many parts of the province are under a Winter Storm, Snowfall or Wind Warning.
Regina and Moose Jaw are both under Wind Warnings and Blowing Snow Advisories.
“The big story for Regina is going to be the wind for the day, fairly mild start, but things really take a turn for the south around the noon hour,” said Knight. “Winds gusting 100 km/h, and with that looking at about five cm’s of snow. So the whole thing will be a very quick turn to winter,” Knight said.
Rain is expected to turn to snow as the temperature drops Monday afternoon below the freezing mark.
Knight said the wind is definitely the biggest concern with this storm, as Regina took a while to recover from the last windstorm.
“Very strong wind gusts, as we saw last fall and January, expect the usual suspects of perhaps downed power lines, loose objects being tossed around, broken branches, that sort of thing.” “Take a good look at your roof, and keep things tied down outside.”
Highway conditions are also expected to deteriorate quickly, checking the Highway Hotline before heading out is also being advised.
SaskPower is also preparing for the likely scenario of power outages.
Strong winds, snow and freezing rain are expected for parts of the province. This can result in damaged power lines. If you come across a downed power line, remember to stay 10 metres away and call us at 310-2220 or report an outage online using our tool: https://t.co/ActUjBL2fI pic.twitter.com/6wuYigPf9h
— SaskPower (@SaskPower) March 28, 2021
The Crown says it is already prepared with crews and resources ready to respond to power outages that may occur.
SaskPower says anyone who comes across downed lines or damaged SaskPower infrastructure should stay back ten meters and call them at 310-2220 or 911 in an emergency.
Updates on outages and estimated repair times will be posted on SaskPower’s Twitter account and the Crown’s website.
The weather is set to improve rather quickly though, with a return to double digit highs later this week.
