Heat to continue well into next week; wildfire smoke in some areas

Saskatchewan isn’t getting a break from the heat anytime soon.

Environment Canada is forecasting daily high temperatures at or above 30 C across much of the province until Wednesday.

It’s the latest stretch of heat in a dry, scorching summer.

David Baggaley, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, compared this summer to the Dust Bowl in the 1930s for heat and lack of rain.

This latest stretch, however, won’t be as extreme as some of the record-breaking days we’ve seen.

“It’s probably not going to be record hot, not individually. What’s different about this is that it’s so persistent … We are looking at very warm temperatures for a very long time, so people do have to be careful with that,” he said.

As of Sunday morning, there were heat warnings issued for much of western, central and northern Saskatchewan, including Saskatoon, Swift Current and the Battlefords.

However, just because there isn’t a heat warning, doesn’t mean it won’t be sweltering outside.

“There may or may not be heat warnings, but again, (these) are very hot temperatures for a long time,” Baggaley continued.

There are also air quality advisories in some areas.

Baggaley pointed to a wildfire near Hudson Bay as a major culprit, making the area very smoky.

That smoke is expected to push south throughout Sunday.

You can see the latest weather warnings, watches and advisories here.