Communities across northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba - including the Flin Flon area - are under a severe thunderstorm warning Saturday.
The alert was called by Environment Canada Saturday afternoon, with the service saying an unstable air mass could bring thunderstorms (and possibly hail) to the area. The alert was initially called a watch until around 4 p.m. local time, when it was upgraded to a warning.
"At 4:05 p.m, Environment Canada meteorologists are tracking a severe thunderstorm capable of producing very strong wind gusts, nickel to ping pong ball size hail and heavy rain," reads the latest warning issued.
"This severe thunderstorm is located 20 kilometres west of Flin Flon, heading east at 40 kilometres per hour."
Previous alerts also shared this information.
"Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon in an unstable air mass ahead of a frontal system. Conditions have is become favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms. Large hail, up to golf ball in size and strong wind gusts are possible with these storms," reads a watch issued for Flin Flon, Cranberry Portage and Snow Lake, issued at 3:20 p.m. local time.
"Severe thunderstorm warnings are issued when imminent or occurring thunderstorms are likely to produce or are producing one or more of the following: large hail, damaging winds, torrential rainfall."
Forecasts for the Flin Flon area call for partly cloudy conditions Saturday with a 60 per cent chances of showers or thunderstorms and a risk of a severe thunderstorm Saturday night. That will clear later in the evening and sunny conditions are expected for Sunday morning, but rain and a risk of a thunderstorm are in the forecast for Sunday afternoon and evening.
