Cool long weekend, wet Monday expected for Prairies: Environment Canada

It was weather whiplash across the Prairies this week; where the beginning of the week saw record-setting temperatures, heading into the long weekend it might be a good idea to bundle up.

Many across Saskatchewan woke Friday morning to a frigid morning as a cold snap hit the province.

“Then you get your snow, your freezing rain, we even had some thunderstorms in the southeast corner so we’ve had it all this week,” said Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

She said she expected it to be a cool start to the long weekend.

“I think skies will finally clear out for Saturday and Sunday so looking for mainly sunny skies, but still quite on the cool side, highs only in sort of the mid to high teens,” she said.

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Lang warns it’s not all clear skies this long weekend; she said she expects much-needed rain late Sunday and all day Monday.

It might be a soggy end to the long-weekend, but with the dry conditions — and recent wild fires — she said it’s needed.

Even though there was frost or snow, she said people should remain cautious about the dry conditions.

Gardening tips

Meanwhile, plenty were fooled by the deceptively warm weather. May long weekend is Saskatoon greenhouse Dutch Grower’s busiest time for selling plants.

They have tips for people putting plants outside.

“In order to keep them outside we need it to be plus 5 at nighttime,” said owner Jill Vanduyvendyk.

“So plus 5 at nighttime, keep any of your annuals or vegetables outside and if they’re a tropical plant, we’re looking at 10 degrees at nighttime.”

Vanduyvendyk suggests keeping an eye on the temperature and to leave plants in the sun all day when it’s warm enough.

But what happens if you got overzealous and put them out too early?

“If you’ve purchased some plants and you’ve put them outside and you see a little frost damage take heart,” she said.

“Sometimes you can still salvage those plants by trimming off some of that part that’s been damaged.”

Vanduyvendyk said it should be safe to put plants out around the end of May or first week of June.

2:49 Saskatchewan weather outlook: May 21