A weather system known as a “Mackenzie Screamer” made its way across Saskatchewan and into Manitoba Thursday.

Terri Lang, a Saskatoon-based meteorologist with Environment Canada, says the system was the reason behind the snow that fell in the north and the freezing rain that blanketed the central part of the province Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.

The system also provided a day with above normal temperatures before a sudden drop into colder temperatures. “Now, we’re really getting into the mild temperatures, just in the warm sector – we call it with this system – and the cold front associated with this system will move through northern Saskatchewan this afternoon (thurs), central Saskatchewan through this afternoon and evening and then overnight through the rest of southern Saskatchewan.” says Lang.

The cold air will stick around for couple of days before another warm up on Sunday. “We’re going to be in the cold air for a couple days and I think it’s going to feel a little bit shocking after a few mild days that we’ve had, not much happening with that. Not a lot of snow or anything and then towards Sunday, it looks like we’re going to get into some milder air again, so the roller coaster continues.”

Lang says the name Mackenzie is given for the system as it develops over the Mackenzie Valley.

Strong wind gusts were also in the forecast for Thursday with the Saskatoon area seeing of up to 70 kilometeres an hour.