Heavy hail caused traffic delays on Highway 11 early Sunday afternoon near Hague, Saskatchewan. (Ronald Quaroni/ paNOW Staff)

By Ron Quaroni

Spring Hail

Brief spring storm highlights weather volatility on the prairies

Apr 15, 2019 | 12:08 PM

A low pressure system that swept through the prairies yesterday brought a small amount of moisture, as well as a quick hail storm in some areas.

A video shot and forwarded by a viewer on SnapChat to paNOW, shows a significant amount of hail falling near Hague early yesterday afternoon.

Terri Lang, a meterologist with Environment Canada said hail forms when temperatures on the ground go up quickly and that interacts with cool temperatures in the upper atmosphere. It’s especially rare when moisture levels are low.

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“Normally we get more hail, the more moisture there is and we know it’s still really, really dry,” Lang said.

The spring hail storm near Hague highlights how unpredictable the weather can be during the spring.

“Anything can happen. Hail, thunderstorms, snow, rain, all that kind of stuff,” Lang said. ”It is spring time on the prairies, you kind of have that epic battle of the warm air coming up from the South and still, that cold air from the North. You have to be prepared for anything.”

She added since it’s early in the year, the hail isn’t destroying crops or plants which makes its appearance a welcome source of moisture, to a so far, very dry spring.

“For Prince Albert, so far this month we’ve only seen about 5.3 mm, that’s about halfway through the month,” Lang said. “Average for the 30 years for April is 17.3 mm, so hopefully more showers heading through to boost moisture content in the soil.”

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ron.quaroni@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @RonaldQuaroni