A cold snap brought temperatures in the area down to the minus thirties with windchills in the minus forties, now temperatures are beginning to go up to the negative single digits. Christy Climenhaga, Scientist with Environment Canada, explains the fluctuating temperatures are due to arctic air competing with warm air from the south.
“We've been seeing quite a few swings in temperatures in Saskatchewan through not only the last week, but through much of the month of December. Seeing cooler air being pulled down from the Arctic, bringing you those cooler than normal temperatures that we saw to start January and now an upper ridge building in the atmosphere, pulling in those warmer than normal temperatures from the south.”
As we move into warmer temperatures, Climenhaga predicts a bit more action in the province as colder temperatures often come with milder overall conditions, where warmer temperatures typically bring more activity.
“It looks like we could see a large system over the Northwest Territories, which actually could trigger a little bit of unsettled weather through Saskatchewan, maybe some flurried activity. As we are watching mild temperatures moving in, even temperatures above the freezing mark in parts of southern Saskatchewan, the chance of some icy conditions, maybe some mixed precipitation.”
The warm temperatures are not forecasted to be accompanied by much sunshine, however, Climenhaga explains due to the sun’s lower angle in the winter, it doesn't overly contribute much warmth. The insulation provided by cloud coverage actually contributes more to maintaining warmer temperatures.
“When we're dealing with cloud cover, especially overnight, it really acts as a blanket to keep our temperatures from dipping too low. So that actually can help you out, even if it may seem counterintuitive to get that cloud cover”
Some steady snowfall alongside some windy conditions is expected to present on Saturday due to a system set to move through southern Saskatchewan.
Climenhaga reminds motorists to be aware of road conditions when preparing to go out, as the freezing and thawing can create slippery, icy roads. You can stay up to date on these conditions on the DiscoverWeyburn road report page.