After a couple of pleasant days, the bitter side of winter is set to return.
On Thursday a low-pressure system will move into Saskatchewan, which should bring a heavy snowfall into the northern portion of the province.
Danielle Desjardins meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada says 15-20 cm of snow could fall in the Buffalo Narrows and La Ronge areas on Thursday.
Meanwhile in the southern section of the province could see some form precipitation but Desjardins says it won’t be as significant, with the amount closer to 2cm, although some southern sections may experience some freezing rain.
The low-pressure system that will be moving through will be accompanied by heavy winds that will likely cause blowing snow in the Humboldt region.
“Could see gusts almost 70 km/h, in that area” says Desjardins, adding that winds will pick up speed later Thursday afternoon and into the evening. She also noted the winds are expected to diminish early on Friday.
Along with wind speeds expected to decrease on Friday, the temperature is expected to do the same.
“That low pressure system tracks through, a cold front will also swing down and bring in a bunch of arctic air which is going to cause this sharp contrast of weather,” said Desjardins.
She added “we are expecting widespread cold all over the province, wouldn’t be surprised if we get some extreme cold warnings issued for the weekend, it looks bitterly cold.”
Another thing to keep an eye out for is icy ridges that may form on the roads after the blowing snow on Thursday over the next couple of days, especially with the extremely cold temperatures forecasted for the weekend.
It looks like the bitter cold will remain through the weekend and into the beginning part of next week, with temperatures not expecting to rise until the middle of next week.