We were all enjoying the unusually warm January but the winter we all know is expected to settle in this weekend.
Right now, most of southern Saskatchewan is experiencing grey, gloomy skies and an on-and-off mixture of heavy snow and rainfall.
The snow is becoming rain in some places due to temperatures sitting above freezing, creating some unideal roads.
“As the rain comes down, the ground is still frozen so a lot of it is freezing, making for some tricky driving conditions,” says Terri Lang, Meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Combined with frozen roads and heavy snow/rainfall, southern Saskatchewan is also expecting high winds gusting up to 90km today.
Lang says there shouldn’t be much mixture between the winds and the snowfall to create drifting snow but drivers should stay cautious if they choose to travel.
The Saskatchewan RCMP released that they’ve received roughly 43 reports of weather-related traffic issues from across the province between midnight and noon today.
These include multiple motor vehicle collisions, as well as vehicles and semis stuck in the ditch.
The temperature is also expected to drop tonight so things will not be getting any better.
“We are expecting those winds to finally die down tonight but more snow to move in and with that, we’re getting some dropping temperatures as well. So, everything is going to freeze up before all is said and done by tomorrow and then we go into the deep freeze,” says Lang.
Normal January temperatures will settle in this weekend as we’re forecasted to have highs of -20 degrees.
As we head into next week, Lang is predicting temperatures to drop to around -30 degrees around Wednesday.
The RCMP is asking motorists to consider delaying any travel today if possible.
If you are traveling in the coming days, check the Highway Hotline for up-to-date road conditions so that you can plan your trip accordingly.
