Snow, windy conditions hit southern, central Saskatchewan

Parts of southern Saskatchewan received their first blast of winter Tuesday morning, with a snowfall warning issued for the extreme southwest corner of the province.

Environment Canada and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said places like Cypress Hills could receive up to 15 centimetres of snow Tuesday. Meanwhile,  winds of up to 80 km/h were causing poor visibility south of Highway 1.

Danielle Desjardins, a warning preparedness meteorologist with ECCC, said a low pressure system tracking in from Alberta is behind the moisture, and will also bring snow to Regina and Saskatoon 

Desjardins said to watch out for slippery conditions in some of those southern areas.

"We saw a little bit of rain at the beginning of this system and there's a chance that there there's a little bit of freezing rain with this as it transitioned over to snow," she said. "So definitely give yourself a lot of extra time to make it to where you need to be when driving."

Desjardins said the good news is the snow will end tonight and winds will decrease.

"We are looking at temperatures at least in the in the high single digits (for south and central Saskatchewan)," she said. "So in the seven to 10 C range, which is above normal for this time of year."

Those temperatures should continue to be above normal right through civic election on Nov. 13, she said.

"Southern Saskatchewan is going to be quite dry for for the next week and there is no indication right now that there's going to be any major system. So it does look like this warmer and drier trend will continue for the next week and into election day," she said.

Forecasting what type of winter is in store for is a lot harder.

"This year we are looking at a weak La Niña," she said. "Typically La Niña, especially strong ones, we would expect colder and snowier for Saskatchewan.

"However, because this is a weak La Niña, it's going to be a little bit trickier. "

It could turn out to be a cold, snowy winter, she said.

"It's going to be interesting to see what plays out. But I wouldn't expect it to be quite as bad as those snowy years."