After a couple of weeks of minus-50 wind chills and frigid conditions around southeast Saskatchewan, residents will get a break from the cold -- but only for a short while.
"It's quite the change from the last few weeks we've had in pretty much all the south Prairies here. Got a lot of warm air coming in from the Pacific that's kind of pushing across the Rockies and into the Prairies ongoing here. It's expected to last actually for quite a while, most likely the rest of the week, and then into early next week whereby midweek, things return to more normal temperatures," James Colangelo, a meteorologist for Environment Canada, said.
Colangelo noted that the Pacific Air passing through Saskatchewan will be pushing out the cold Arctic Air eastward. Parts of Manitoba and into Ontario will be seeing some of the cold the Prairies have been experiencing. He added that for weather in February, the warm spell the southeast is about to receive is above seasonal. "Currently, we're seeing above-zero temperature highs expected, kind of plus single digits for the remainder of the week here and then lows kind of in the minus five to minus ten range."
The warm weather brings some other hazards for motorists. Due to the freeze-thaw cycle that the area will see, roads could be prone to black ice.
"Just really take caution when you're getting in and out of your vehicle and especially when you're on the roadways, even like early morning, when things haven't kind of warmed up yet. All I could say is just be careful when you're traveling and keep an eye on road closures and highway conditions."
You can stay up-to-date on the forecast any time on the CARSTAR Hail-Otto Weather Page. Know the highway conditions before you travel with the Trent's Tire Road Reports link.