Blast of wintry weather to hit southern Saskatchewan, prairies over next few days

A winter storm warning is in effect for Saskatchewan, with heavy snow, strong winds, and blowing snow in store for the southern part of the province, beginningThursday night and carrying into Friday morning.

A pair of low pressure systems is moving into Western Canada, bringing moisture from the Pacific areas off British Columbia and near California.

The weather system is expected to bring rain which will be turning into snowfall in the south of the province, with southeastern Saskatchewan seeing the heaviest snowfall, towardEstevan, and closer toMoose Jaw and Regina. People in these areas can expect to see between 10 to 20 cm of snow.

Strong southeast winds with gusts up to 70 km/h could also reduce visibility in blowing snow.

The snowfall is expected to slow by mid-morning, and the storm will exit the province completely by Friday evening.

Saskatoon lands in the middle of the two systems, between the north and south, with fivecentimetres expected in the city, according to Environment Canada.

The incoming weather systems are expected to affect a wide swath of the prairies with a range of wintry conditions fromThursday toSaturday, and Environment Canada suggests that people should consider postponing non-essential travel and check for weather alerts before heading out on the road.