You may want to pack a sweater. Although there are no major storms bearing down on the province over the long weekend, it appears that Saskatchewanians are in for a rather cool May Long Weekend.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist, Steven Berg, things are going temperatures are going to be cool and relatively dry—save for a low chance for scattered showers—for the next several days.
“Temperatures will be roughly in the mid-teens for the highs, lows around three degrees,” he explained.
“Normal for this time of year is a high of 20, and a low of five degrees, so the daytime highs will generally be around five degrees below normal.”
Overnight lows are also following the trend towards the cooler side of things, Berg added.
“The risk of frost is present for tonight and tomorrow night.”
Conditions are going to clear up going forward, Berg explained, as the remnants of the Colorado low that passed through the southern portion of the province in the latter half of the week give way to a high-pressure system in the coming days.
Moose Jaw’s long weekend at a glance:
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Tonight: Clear and 0°,
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Saturday: A mix of sun and cloud, 30 per cent chance showers, with wind gusts up to 40, and a daytime high of 14,
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Sunday: Sunshine and 13°,
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Monday: Sunshine and 17°.
Things are shaping up to be generally cool in the Moose Jaw area, but what of the popular outdoor destinations?
According to Berg, those conditions will be present throughout many of the province’s hotspots.
“In the Lake Diefenbaker area tomorrow, there might actually be a thunderstorm and possibility of showers,” he said, noting that the odds increase with the temperatures.
“It looks to be slightly warmer than the Moose Jaw area, but not by a lot, generally around 16 to 20 degrees for highs on the long weekend. Overnight lows will be close to normal, around five degrees.”
The story is the same in the southwest as well, temperatures around the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park sitting in the mid to high teens with the potential for a thunderstorm on Saturday.
According to the current forecast, those headed to Moose Mountain Provincial Park may want to pack a jacket.
“It’s going to be a bit cooler. Overnight lows dipping down below zero for tonight and tomorrow night, some rain lasting for the rest of the day today and then cooler for a long weekend,” Berg said.
“It’s about 10 to 15 degrees or so for daytime highs and lows in the minus one to plus four area. So that's about generally about five or six degrees below normal for highs and then and then for the lows, about 3 or 4° below normal.”
On a positive note, if your long weekend journey is taking you north to the Prince Albert National Park conditions are closer to what is to be expected for mid-May.
“Generally, pretty dry, a bit cool, not quite as big a departure from the normal values. We’ve got a daytime highs around 12 to 15 degrees, normal is about 16 degrees,” Berg explained.
“Overnight lows for the next couple of nights will be close to zero, which is about two or three degrees below normal.”
He added that visitors to the area are in store for several sunny days over the weekend, with cloud cover only beginning to form late Monday.
Overall, conditions through the long weekend in Saskatchewan are going to generally cooler than what is typical, with the potential for scattered thunderstorms in several of the province’s more popular destinations.