With October now here, the first week of the month most commonly associated with fall is starting out very different from the previous month. While we saw temperatures well above normal in September, temperatures below seasonal are expected for the coming few days.
Rain started in the early morning hours Tuesday and continued for much of the day, into the evening hours. Environment Canada recorded 28.1 millimetres in Estevan on Tuesday.
“That’s pretty substantial given the lack of precipitation that the area has had,” explained Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. She noted the type of rain is good for those who are concerned about the soil moisture, as it is coming slow and steady which gives time for the ground to absorb it.
Behind the rain, though, comes something most people don’t like to hear in October – frost. Lang pointed to the forecast, which said we could see something developing by the weekend.
“I think Friday morning will be the first chance to see frost, and probably Saturday morning as well,” Lang predicted. She was quick to point out, though, that other conditions do play a factor in whether or not we do see frost.
“Kind of depends on what the wind speeds are doing Saturday morning, just because when there’s wind around we tend not to get frosts, just because the winds tend to mix the lower atmosphere.”
With the possibility of frost coming in the early morning hours on Friday, and the possibility of more rain on Thursday, will the combination of cold and precipitation lead to something that is even more disliked in October than frost?
“I don’t think we’ll see any kind of snow coming along,” Lang clarified. “I’d be surprised if it did. The ground is warm and the air is still quite warm.”
Behind the cooler temperatures, though, there will be some be big changes. Temperatures for the Thanksgiving Day weekend are expected to be above seasonal, possibly getting into the 20s.
“It’s a big upper ridge building in,” Lang added. “A little late in the season for this to happen, but this year, it just seems like anything goes.”
You can find specifics with big swings in temperatures by checking our weather page here.
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