This winter has brought consistently fluctuating temperatures to the province. Meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, Natalie Hasell, explains passing systems are moving quickly through the area, aloft and on the surface.
“If you look at how low-pressure systems work in the northern hemisphere, the circulation is counterclockwise, so in advance of the low you'll get flow from the Southwest. If the low tracks north of you, you'll be in the warm sector proper, so not only will you have the warming air in advance of the low, but as the low passes you'll be in the warm sector. So it goes from first being in the cold air to then being in a warm sector, which could be many degrees warmer than the air mass you were just in before.”
This is then followed by a cold front moving through, as arctic air is brought down to the southern part of the province. Alongside this, Saskatchewan has minimal topography to interrupt this flow of arctic air.
“We are also already in that time of year where everything is frozen north and not far from us, so there's not a whole lot of moderation of that cold air either. At night, when the sun sets, radiation from the planet, the ground cools, the air cools, so things become even colder. So the worst period is in the overnight period into the early morning right before sunrise.”