After a period of intense heat, residents of Weyburn and surrounding areas can look forward to a significant change in the weather. Today marks what is expected to be the final day of a heat warning, with much more comfortable temperatures expected to arrive by the weekend.
Environment Canada meteorologist Crawford Luke noted that while it's been "pretty hot," temperatures in Weyburn did not set a new record yesterday. However, today's forecast high of 35° could come close to the old daily record of 34.3°.
“People should be taking it easy,” Luke said. “We just got to get through today, and then after today, we’re going to be cooling off dramatically over the next day or two.”
Along with the heat, there is a moderate risk for thunderstorms later today. According to Luke, the probability of a storm is low, but any that do form could be severe. The threat is concentrated along the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border, but southeastern Saskatchewan could still be hit with the storms.
“We could be talking about some pretty intense thunderstorms with some very large hail, potentially damaging winds, and even a tornado risk,” Luke explained. Some weather models suggest storms could form as early as 3 p.m., while others indicate a later start time.
The dramatic cool-down is expected to begin after Thursday. The low overnight on Wednesday is forecast to be 18°, which is a significant drop from the recent high temperatures. By Saturday, the low is projected to be 5°.
Looking ahead, next week is expected to see temperatures warm up again, but not to the extreme levels seen this week. The forecast calls for a very dry air mass with plenty of sunshine and afternoon highs into the mid-to-high 20s, with overnight lows in the single digits. Luke described this as a return to back-to-school weather.
“September in the air, but I think there’s still a lot of really pleasant, warm sunny days to be enjoyed or on the horizon.”