TEMPS SOARING
Mercury likely to drop by weekend
Saskatoon residents will see temperatures in the 30s with high humidity this week.
Saskatchewan can expect a heat wave throughout the work week.
Temperatures hovered in the low 30s on Monday, with humidity making that high feel closer to 40 C. According to Environment Canada meteorologist Eric Dykes, that’s above average compared to last year and can be felt in Regina, Saskatoon and everywhere in between.
“We’re normally looking at temperatures that are as high as 26 degrees during the day with low temperatures that are going to be somewhere around 12 degrees,” he said.
“Instead we’re seeing these temperatures a good six to eight degrees warmer than normal in the daytime, and a good four to five warmer during the night.”
Dykes said the heat is caused by a strong high pressure system moving clockwise around Colorado.
“It’s allowing all this hot air to be ushered up from Arizona and Mexico, up through Wyoming and Montana and further up into Saskatchewan. Because of the circulation pattern, the upper atmosphere is allowing all of this hot air to infiltrate Saskatchewan all the way up to Saskatoon and points north.”
Sarah Sangster, a sessional lecturer at the University of Saskatchewan, didn’t let the high temperatures keep her from hunkering down in Kiwanis Park North to mark some papers in the sunshine.
Though she personally loves the heat, Sangster said people looking for a slightly cooler place to sit down in the coming days might want to give the riverside park a shot.
“There’s an awesome breeze because of the big, open space by the river. I think it also makes it a little bit cooler here, and that’s awesome,” she said.
Cyndil Arnold, a Calgarian who took advantage of the weather by enjoying a picnic with her sister and niece beside the Memorial Fountain of Youth, said she was appreciating a reprieve from the recent tornado warning and hail she experienced in her city last week.
“It is lovely. It’s great. If you dress appropriately and you have water and sunscreen, it’s fantastic,” Arnold said.
For those planning their weekend, Dykes said the good news is that the heat is expected to break after Friday.
“On Saturday, this upperlevel pattern will break down and we’ll see some cooler air to come in from the west. Temperatures will start to drop from west to east across the province to temperatures just at or a couple degrees below normal for the weekend.”