Winter has held on long enough, so get ready for a spring sized warm up coming next week courtesy of a big Pacific airflow. That’s the latest from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Before we get out the board shorts and the flip flops, we’ll be taking a turn with the rubber galoshes as we start to see the winter’s considerable snowpack recede.
“We are seeing a warmup starting next week,” assures Danielle Desjardins, meteorologist with Canada’s weather service. “It’s going to take place across the entire central and south parts of Saskatchewan. The daytime highs are going to be impacted by the snowpack, so areas where it’s snow free, we are going to see temperatures climb into the mid-teens and possibly high teens in the southwest.”
Areas where there is more remaining snow cover, like east central Saskatchewan, can expect temperatures in the double-digit low teens. Still, it’s a considerable jump for daytime highs, expected to be above normal starting on Monday.
The warm air is following a broad upper ridge of high pressure, chasing the cold to the north and replacing it with a warm westerly flow of Pacific air.
“It sticks around for a couple of days into mid-week," Desjardins says, “There may be a couple of days where the ridge breaks down and we’re not seeing temperatures into the teens, but then the ridge rebuilds later in the week, so it looks like the warm up will stick around for the better part of the week.”
For those in the Humboldt area still seeing ridges of winter snow accumulation, you can get set for run off in earnest. The City of Humboldt has some advice to help with that spring water flow.
The city has been actively thawing catch basins to ensure water flow. Residents can help by ensuring that flow channels on their properties are clear of obstructions. It’s time for a sump pump and drain line check and if residents have a backwater valve, it's also time to inspect those to ensure working order.
Gutters and downspouts should be cleared and in a condition that water will be directed away from their home’s foundation. Where necessary, remove excess snow from around the basement of a house.
It’s welcome news to rid us of a winter that set in months ago and has seen storms persist past the spring threshold.