Tornado warnings issued as storm risk threatens outdoor plans on the Prairies

4:44 p.m. CST - Severe thunderstorms prompted a tornado warning in province on Monday afternoon.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a tornado warning for the following areas in Saskatchewan:

• R.M. of Wallace including Rhein Stornoway Tonkin and Rokeby
• R.M. of Saltcoats including Saltcoats and Bredenbury
• R.M. of Cana including Melville

"This is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation. Take cover immediately, if threatening weather approaches," ECCC said in its warning.

The agency added: "Go indoors to a room on the lowest floor, away from outside walls and windows, such as a basement, bathroom, stairwell or interior closet. Leave mobile homes, vehicles, tents, trailers and other temporary or free-standing shelter, and move to a strong building if you can. As a last resort, lie in a low spot and protect your head from flying debris.”

CURRENT TORNADO WARNINGS (SASKATCHEWAN):

• R.M. of Wallace including Rhein Stornoway Tonkin and Rokeby
• R.M. of Saltcoats including Saltcoats and Bredenbury
• R.M. of Cana including Melville

The original article with the full forecast for REGION continues below.

Much of the Prairies faces a risk for thunderstorms on Canada Day, so Mother Nature may provide folks with its own fireworks as we conclude the long weekend.

A widespread threat covers a good portion of Western Canada on Monday, stretching from northern B.C. and extending into southern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. A swath of areas in those regions could see some storms reach severe limits, with heavy rain, large hail and strong wind gusts as the main hazards.

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Keep an eye on the radar if you have outdoor plans on Canada Day as storms bubble up across the Prairies. Have backup plans for the indoors in case of foul weather.

Systems bring storms to start the week

Several different disturbances will work together to bring active weather to the Prairies for Canada Day.

We’ll likely start the day with morning storms across southern Saskatchewan. Later on in the day, numerous thunderstorms will bubble up amid an unstable atmosphere over eastern Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Most of the storms that form in this region should remain non-severe, but the stronger cells could turn severe with large hail and strong wind gusts posing the main threats.

Farther east, we’ll see larger clusters of storms push into southern Manitoba late Monday afternoon and into the predawn hours on Tuesday.

The main threat with these storms would be heavy rainfall. These storms could drop more than 50 mm of rain over southern Manitoba through Tuesday.

A chilly holiday across the region

Temperatures will remain unseasonably cool across the southern and central Prairies as a result of the disturbances responsible for the unsettled weather on Monday.

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We’ll likely see daytime highs hovering in the upper teens across southern Alberta and portions of southwestern and central Saskatchewan, where Calgary, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert will all struggle to close in on the 20-degree mark.

If Calgary’s daytime high remains in the teens, it’ll be the city’s coolest Canada Day since 2011. The all-time record for coldest Canada Day will remain safe, however; that title is held by a high of just 11.7°C back in 1955.

Head north if you’re looking for warmth. The northern Prairies will see some of the country’s warmest readings on Monday, with expected highs of 27°C in Fort McMurray and 28°C in Churchill.

Check back for all the latest on your forecast across the Prairies.