Southwestern Saskatchewan is expected to be blasted by a severe thunderstorm beginning this afternoon.

The region could receive between 10-20 millimetres of precipitation combined with potential hail and strong wind with gusts up to 70-80 km/hr.

Justin Shelley, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the storms will be created due to an unstable atmosphere.

"There is this slight chance of a supercell or two to develop," he said. "With those types of thunderstorms, certainly have an increased chance of large hail, gusty winds, and sometimes you can get funnel clouds or tornadoes. That's not expected to be the primary threat for today for that region."

Shelley said the hail could be about the size of a toonie and the southwest is expected to receive the brunt of the severe weather system.

"It doesn't take much, especially if you have a slower moving thunderstorm to get those accumulations of five or 10 millimetres and an hour plus," he said.