The last significant snowfall seen in the Weyburn area happened back on January 26th. Since then, there have been a few days with a little snowfall, maybe 2-3 centimetres at a time, but mild temperatures have helped to melt much of what was on roads and sidewalks. This being March, however, means that the chances are fairly good that a significant snowfall will happen at some point, and Environment Canada is forecasting that could happen this week.  

The forecast is calling for three separate systems to pass through the region over the course of the next five days, starting Tuesday afternoon. 

Janelle Gergely is a meteorologist with Environment Canada. She explained that one system is expected to pass through Tuesday afternoon and night, bringing with it wind and around two centimetres of snow. Then, another system will pass just to the south of Weyburn Thursday, which could also bring around two centimetres of show. The third one, though, has the attention of the forecasters. 

“Really, the system we’re watching on the weekend may bring some impactful weather in terms of both wind and snowfall,” Gergely said.  

It will start with the wind and snow Friday night, with gusts upwards of 70 kilometres an hour. The snow will then intensify through Saturday.  

“Now, right now, we are seeing some discrepancy in the models, but there very well could be upwards of 10 centimetres falling throughout the day Saturday,” Gergely added.  

The wind and the snow will create less-than-ideal travel conditions as the winds and freshly fallen snow will reduce visibility. The high winds will also create snow drifts in a number of areas.  

The snow will also be a lot heavier than we see for most of the winter. 

“Likely you’ll have a higher water-to-snow equivalent,” Gergely stated. “You’ll get larger flakes and greater accumulations – we oftentimes see that in the spring as temperatures are a little bit warmer with these snowfall events.” 

While there are no advisories issued as of yet, Gergely said Environment Canada will keep an eye on the situation, and depending on how the conditions could develop, snowfall, wind or winter storm watches and warnings are a possibility for the weekend.  

You can stay up to date with the latest weather forecast on the Discover Weyburn Weather page.