Torrential rain, strong wind threats continue Sunday on the Prairies
An active pattern stuck over the Prairies for the past week is in no hurry to move along this weekend. Saturday featured a repeat of the severe storms we’ve seen for days on end—complete with a funnel cloud reported in southwestern Saskatchewan during the afternoon hours.
The risk for strong to severe storms continues right into Sunday and Monday, with the potential for very heavy rainfall accompanying the chance for large hail and strong wind gusts.
DON’T MISS: A photogenic landspout filled the skies over Alberta on Wednesday
Sunday
Areas: Alberta foothills, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba
Weather: A stalled boundary lingering over central portions of Saskatchewan and Manitoba will serve as the focus for renewed thunderstorm development during the day Sunday.
Temperatures will remain well above seasonal with highs in the 30s and humidity pushing feels-like values close to a stifling 40 for the City of Winnipeg.
This moisture-laden atmosphere will provide plenty of fuel for thunderstorms to sprout over the region and drop torrential rainfall along their paths.
We already saw some impressive rains on Saturday. Winnipeg recorded 52.6 mm of rain in just one hour on Saturday, coming within a few millimetres of the all-time hourly rainfall record set back in July 1996.
That’s the kind of threat we’ll endure across the eastern half of the Prairies again on Sunday. In addition to the risk for torrential rains, plentiful storm energy will drive a risk for large hail and strong wind gusts.
Farther west, another trough developing near the Alberta foothills will combine with converging winds and daytime heat to trigger thunderstorms across the region. These storms could grow strong enough to produce nickel size hail and locally gusty winds west of Edmonton.
Monday
Areas: Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba
Weather: This rinse-and-repeat pattern will roll right into the new workweek as a risk for severe thunderstorms blankets the Prairies from central Alberta to southern Manitoba.
That same boundary dawdling over central Saskatchewan, as well as a low-pressure system in southern Alberta, will collectively spark a renewed bout of thunderstorms throughout the region.
Hot temperatures over southern Saskatchewan will likely limit thunderstorm activity there by capping the atmosphere, instead pushing most of the activity north toward Saskatoon and Prince Albert. This is a ‘ring of fire’ setup where thunderstorms blossom around the outer edge of a ridge of high pressure responsible for the heat and humidity.
Much like we’ve seen for the past week, Monday’s most formidable storms could produce large hail, torrential rainfall, and strong wind gusts.
Prepare
Stay alert and monitor the forecast for updates. Have a plan and a place to head indoors if the weather changes.
Watches mean conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms.
Warnings mean they are imminent or occurring in your area.
Stay tuned to The Weather Network for the latest updates on conditions across the Prairies.
