Southeast is looking at a bit of an early summer as this weekend's temperatures will be soaring up to potentially record-breaking and extreme values. The forecast shows that we will also be without much in the way of cloud cover or rainfall, potentially drying everything out over just a couple of days.
Environment and Climate Change Canada scientist Christy Climenhaga says that they're looking at the conditions coming to the area.
"We've already seen some hot temperatures through southern Saskatchewan this weekend, yesterday hitting the 30s in Estevan, and it looks like a repeat performance, and even warmer this weekend in southeastern Saskatchewan. Temperatures jumping into the 30s, could even see towards the mid-30s in some areas, so it's going to be very, very hot for the next couple of days, and pretty dry as well."
A warning could head out at some point this weekend as conditions reach the threshold that Climenhaga says the southeast is looking at.
"It does look like it's going to be pretty close, but it depends on where you are in the province; that's why we have different criteria. For southern Saskatchewan, if we get over 32 degrees during the day and remain over 16 degrees overnight, that's what hits our warning criteria, where we'll be pretty close tomorrow, so it's something to keep an eye on if we do see warnings popping up, you could see them through the weekend."
For temperature safety, overnight temperatures can be just as dangerous as daytime temperatures, as if that's too high, people may not be able to cool off during the night.
Climenhaga says that's a key factor people should be aware of heading into the weekend.
"Not a lot of time for relief for folks that maybe don't have air conditioning, things like that, it can stay pretty hot when we're looking at temperatures staying in the mid-teens, so it's something to consider, even your earlier morning hours are going to feel very warm."
For anyone who has weekend plans, Climenhaga says to pick times when you'll be indoors during the warmest periods, though with so much of the day being warm, that may be difficult.
Cloud cover will be sporadic through the weekend, but Climenhaga says that with recent instability, they can't fully rule out moisture.
"It's looking pretty sunny, but there is the risk of a little bit of thunderstorm activity, so that's something to consider. It doesn't look overly severe at this point, but still, that risk is there for southern Saskatchewan tomorrow for some thunderstorms."
Climenhaga reminds people that if they're outside for long periods of time, they should make sure they have ways to stay cool, because people may not be used to the heat yet.