Floodwaters have inundated several highways in the province, with the village of Buchanan in the south-central part of the province particularly hard hit.
Saskatchewan Highway Hotline said on Saturday morning that flooding has closed Highway 5 in both directions east of Watson as well as near 1st Ave W in Buchanan. Highway 47 south of Highway 5 near Buchanan is also closed because of floodwaters.
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A drone photograph of the extensive flooding that closed Highway 5 west of Buchanan. (Colin Pas/Facebook)
Highway 310 in Foam Lake is also closed in both directions 6.5 kilometres south of Highway 16. Flooding has also closed Highway 25 east of St. Louis.
Near Kamsack, Highway 357 is closed in both directions from 1.5 kilometres east of Highway 8 to Assiniboine River Bridge. Flooding has also closed Highway 920 east of Highway 106 at Narrow Hills Provincial Park.
As well, at Wakaw flooding has closed Regional Park Road east of Highway 2 and water over the road on Railway Ave in Brancepeth has closed all lanes closed. Near Nipawin, floodwaters have also closed Birch Road in both directions 13 kilolmetres east of Highway 23.
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Jason Knight, meteorologist with Environment Canada, said a weather system moving into the province is adding to the uncertainty in already flood-prone areas.
“It’s a bit of a mixed bag out there. Another low-pressure system is coming down from the Arctic, bringing unsettled weather.”
That system could bring more rain to areas already dealing with flooding, he said.
“For those flood-prone areas, we’re looking at a chance of showers or thundershowers tomorrow.”
While most areas won’t see much rain, localized storms could worsen conditions.
“Most places are going to see a few showers, but if you get under a thunderstorm, it might be up to 10 millimetres, so that’s not good news.”
There is some relief on the way, he said, with cooler temperatures expected early next week.
“Behind this, we’re looking at some cool northerly air daytime highs in the single digits and overnight lows well below 0 C.”
Those cooler, drier conditions should help slow down the rapid melt.
“It’s dry, so once we get past these showers, we’re looking at favourable conditions to help slow the melt.”
Outside of the short-term system, Knight said the overall forecast for the province is trending drier.
“Generally speaking, it’s going to be a pretty dry week ahead with those cooler temperatures and snow is starting to look like a distant memory for most places.”
But, he added, the flood risk is shifting north as conditions change.
“The snow in the south is mostly gone; the problem is moving further north.”
