It won't be a warm long weekend, but it's likely to at least be a sunny one. (Ian Gustafson/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Cool not Rainy

Small victories: colder but rain-free long weekend ahead

May 20, 2022 | 4:00 PM

You could fill a book with the jokes people in Saskatchewan tell about the weather on May Long Weekends, most of them with the same general message: the weather is never good.

This weekend, that’s likely to be a bit of a qualified statement. Before we get to the weekend, however, we have to slog through what feels like one more taste of winter.

“We’re in that really cool, northwesterly flow in behind,” said Terri Lang, a regional meteorologist with Environment Canada. “There’s a big push of what we would call modified arctic air so not true arctic air because it’s warming up as it comes southward, but still really cold. Those winds are really brisk and just cut right through you.”

The good news for the long weekend? As of now, there’s no rain in the forecast for the Prince Albert area. In fact, once today’s clouds clear, it’s shaping up to be a sunny weekend.

“It looks like it’s trying to clear out,” Lang said. “There’s another system moving through the north, coming through Sunday or Monday, but if anything, it would just give a rogue shower, nothing to write home about.”

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The weekend might feel warm after the Friday leading up to it, but in reality it’s going to be a colder-than-average weekend. The warmest it looks to be getting will be a high of 16 Celsius on Sunday.

“Thirty-year average temperatures for this time of year are highs around 19 C and overnight lows around 5 C,” said Lang. “So we’re still going to be running below average, but it will be nice to see some sunshine to go along with those temperatures, just because it’ll feel warmer.”

That’s not unique to the long weekend either. At the start of spring, early forecasts were for a colder season, much like the winter before it, and so far that’s been the case.

“We’re running well below average for most of Western Canada,” said Lang. “Planting is far behind for the farmers, a lot of vegetation is far behind, at least two or three weeks’ worth. So we know it’s been a cool spring.”

The good news? Warmer weather is on the horizon. Highs will be creeping up into the 20s by the time we get through the middle of next week.

“It is trying to break that cold pattern we’ve had over Western Canada,” Lang said. “It’s trying to build some warmer ridges in. It does look like that is the case for probably later on next week. We’ll start seeing some warmer temperatures.”

Lang added the warmer temperatures to come may bring with them a risk of thunderstorms, so that was something for people to keep in mind.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP