Storms flood parts of Regina, nearly 100 mm of rain recorded in southern Saskatchewan

Storms flood parts of Regina, nearly 100 mm of rain recorded in southern Saskatchewan

Environment Canada warns of more severe weather including wind, hail and heavy rain across the south

Severe thunderstorms swept across southern Saskatchewan on Saturday with heavy rain that flooded parts of Regina and reached nearly 100 millimetres in the community of Mankota.

Environment Canada says Regina received 52 millimetres of rain from thunderstorms — more than 50 of it falling in a single hour. That led to flooding in parts of the city.

“It was just a slow-moving system that resulted in heavy rainfall. We're seeing a little bit more of that this year and that's just the way it kind of has worked out," Kyle Ziolkowski, a meteorologist with Environment Canada said.

"So it's not like it's uncommon, but it's just I'd say like rainfall has been elevated this year.”

Mankota, near Grasslands National Park, was hit even harder, with 99.6 millimetres recorded. About 75 millimetres came down in roughly an hour, Ziolkowski said.

The storm near Mankota also produced a wind gust of 78 km/h. Pea-sized hail was reported near Big Beaver.

Environment Canada had warned that slow-moving storms in the province's south could produce very heavy rain — sometimes 50 millimetres in an hour — in narrow bands. The storms that moved through Regina on Saturday afternoon produced one of those bands.

Ziolkowski says the slow movement is key. When large plumes of moisture move in from the central United States and storms develop without strong upper-level winds to push them along, the storms linger over one area — and the rain piles up.

“We always expect thunderstorms to occur throughout the summer, but the nature of the style of thunderstorms changes on a day-to-day basis. In this situation, it was just a little moving system that resulted in heavy rainfall,” he said.

Aishwarya Dudha is a reporter for CBC Saskatchewan based in Saskatoon. She specializes in immigration, justice and cultural issues and elevating voices of vulnerable people. She has previously worked for CBC News Network and Global News. You can email her at aishwarya.dudha@cbc.ca