Wild winds overnight Sunday gusted to 84 km/h in the Battlefords area. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Wild weather

Severe winds not unusual for this time of year

Jun 1, 2020 | 2:31 PM

Severe winds gusting to 84 km/h in the Battlefords and 100 km/h in Saskatoon overnight Sunday might seem unusual but they are not out of the ordinary for spring in Saskatchewan, according to Environment Canada.

Meteorologist Terri Lang said high winds are fairly typical for this time of the year.

“We’re starting to get the really, really warm temperatures to the South of us, but the cold is still lurking to the North,” Lang said. “So when we see that epic clash between the cold air to the north and the warm air to the South, we tend to get these strong low pressure systems and these gusting winds. Spring is always the windiest time on the Prairies.”

The Battlefords area saw about 2.3 mm of rainfall between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. overnight during the storm.

Temperatures were quite warm at about 29 Celsius Sunday during the day but dropped rapidly to close to 11 C overnight when the cold front moved into the area from Alberta, ushering in the high winds.

Grey Cup!!!

Everything you wanted and more

Nov 21, 2025

12 Best Tips to Spend Less at Christmas

Nov 18, 2025

Cybercrime response

Prince Albert Police Service 'limited in scope' to properly investigate fraud crimes

Nov 17, 2025

The neighbouring province saw a small tornado gusting Sunday near Beiseker, located about 70 kilometres northeast of Calgary, but Saskatchewan managed to come through unscathed.

“In Saskatchewan nothing seemed to really get itself going,” Meteorologist Terri Lang said. “We didn’t even see a lot of lightning through the province. There was a few strikes in and around Lloydminster, towards [the Battlefords area] and farther North, but barely a few South of that.”

Winds in the local area calmed down considerably Monday.

“We’re expecting a ridge of high pressure to move in, and that always kinds of calm things down,” Lang said. “The low pressure system that gave the strong winds is weakening and moving off into Manitoba.”

Looking ahead, people can still expect to see a little bit of unsettled weather for awhile.

Wednesday is forecast for showers and a bit more wind, but not as strong as the recent gusts experienced.

“We’re looking towards the weekend for another low pressure system to move through. That one looks like a bit of a rain maker,” Lang said. “So we’ll keep an eye on that.”

In the meantime, she said, people should get outside and enjoy the nice dry weather.

Temperatures will remain around the low to mid 20s Celsius, which is close to seasonal.

“It will be very pleasant for this time of year,” Lang said.

—

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @OCoureurDesBois