'This is just kind of the appetizer': Environment Canada says worst of spring Sask. storm to arrive

After a seemingly blissful week of spring weather, winter conditions returned to Saskatchewan on Tuesday just as fast as it left.

Rain, sleet and snow began to fall in the afternoon as a Colorado low spring storm arrived in Saskatchewan and began to move its way north from the southern to central parts of the province.

Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang says the worst is yet to come.

"This is just kind of the appetizer, a little bit of a system ahead of the main system. Throughout the night, we're going to see all the snow push up from the south," Lang said.

The brunt of the storm will hit Saskatoon on Wednesday as five to 10 centimetres of snow is expected to fall in the early morning and throughout the day. Snow could linger until Thursday before the weather takes a turn on Friday, according to Lang.

"This is pretty much on time for this type of system throughout the year," Lang said.

The return to winter weather certainly didn't make for ideal gardening conditions, and greenhouses and gardening centres like Dutch Growers are starting to feel the sting of a growing season that keeps moving further away.

 "I know that our sales have been down for March and in the first part of April because there's been snow in backyards. Usually this time of the year this snow is kind of dissipated," Rick Van Duyvendyk, Dutch Growers co-owner, said.

However, Van Duyvendyk was quick to offer a reminder that Saskatoon's spring start time is rarely consistent for gardeners.

"We're always guaranteed to get spring. It's just different times every year. It's a big fury when it comes. So if you're going to look for products, it's best to look for them early rather than wait when everybody's gonna want to come in at once," he said.

While Van Duyvendyk and Lang would rather see temperatures well above freezing, Lang says the heaviest snowstorms come in the early spring and fall. As the low-pressure system moves north and brings plenty of precipitation with it, Lang isn't forecasting a quick return to warm temperatures either.

"For the next month or so the forecast is for below-average temperatures, so I wouldn't be breaking out the flip flops quite yet," Lang said.

Van Duyvendyk said it's too early for gardeners to panic. Virtually no one has planted their garden just yet, and he suggests holding off for around another month if you want to encourage the best results for your plants.

"When you're looking at bedding plants and flowering plants, it's not until at least Mother's Day -- and then most likely for your more tender plants like your tomatoes and peppers, you're not looking until the May long weekend," he said.

Highway travel is expected to be impacted by the storm over the next two days. Wind gusts and quickly accumulating snow could pile up fast and make conditions slippery in a variety of areas.

"This does have the potential to be quite an impactful storm and quite a dangerous storm and we'd rather see people stay at home and not venture out into it," Lang said.