Environment and Climate Change Canada predicted a cool and wet Victoria Day Long Weekend—and Mother Nature delivered. Much of the southern Saskatchewan saw persistent rainfall over the past 72 hours, bringing some much-needed moisture to after a scotching hot start to the month.
The southern portion of the province saw the largest amount fall, driven by a Colorado low that tracked across the region late last week.
Meteorologist, Steven Burg said that while Moose Jaw saw a moderate amount, the southwest was hardest hit.
“Looking at the last 72 hours or so, (Moose Jaw) got about 13mm. Some parts in the southwest got more though—Swift Current and Maple Creek both got about 22mm, and Val Marie had 19mm.”
Burg noted while not recorded through an official Environment Canada station, a volunteer network in the Shaunavon area reported the highest rainfall total in the province with 25mm landing over the long weekend.
While the region didn’t set any high-water marks, a not-insignificant amount of rain fell in the province’s southeast. Burg said that Estevan received 17mm, and Coronach saw Weyburn approximately 12mm apiece.
The bulk of the precipitation was concentrated in the south, with Berg adding that totals tapered off further to the north.
“Not too much (rain) in the east part of the province, apart from that southeast. (In the west-central region), places like Meadow Lake had somewhere between about five and 10mm. North Battleford and Waseca in the five to 10mm range as well.”
“Saskatoon had about 5mm, Buffalo Narrows area had anywhere from six to about 12mm, and then further north, a bit less, in the two to six mm range.”
In the Moose Jaw area, this most recent bout of rainfall puts the region on track for normal moisture levels for May.
“Normal amount of precipitation is about 49mm and (Moose Jaw is) at about 30 so far, so still got a bit of ways to go to get there, but there might be some chances of some rain for the next couple of days,”
Looking ahead, the forecast is marked by several days of scattered rainfall, including a system expected from Thursday night into Saturday evening, which could help narrow the gap.
“For the next couple of days or so, might get in the five to 10mm range or so from today through Wednesday night,” explained Berg.
“Beyond that, it's kind of tough to really say for sure, it may be a little bit higher if there's some more convective activity. It doesn't look like there's too much on the horizon, although it might be more convective towards the weekend too, so that might end up giving localized heavier amounts.”