Brief warm spell to give Saskatchewan a break from winter temperatures

Furnaces across the province have been running on overdrive for the last couple of days after snow mixed with extreme cold warnings were issued to end the work week.

But Environment Canada says Saskatchewan should be in store for a slight break.

Read more:

• What will the weather be like in Saskatchewan this winter?
• Saskatoon firefighters rescue dog from freezing South Saskatchewan River
• Replace pets’ walks with short bathroom breaks in extreme cold: SPCA

While extreme cold warnings blanketed portions of the province to start the weekend, Environment Canada expects most if not all of those will be lifted by the end of Saturday.

“They’re not expected to make a return Saturday night,” said Brian Luzny, meteorologist with Environment Canada.

“We’re looking at highs near -20 C for the Saskatoon (and) Regina area, then it’s going to start warming up a couple degrees overnight.”

It won’t be a long stretch of warmer temperatures but it should serve as a quick break from the extreme cold.

Luzny said the temperature changes could bring some melting to start the work week, peaking around Monday night.

“Most of the province is not going to be super warm, but a brief period of 0 C or above (is forecast) for most of the province.”

After the brief warm spell, Luzny said it’ll be a quick fall back to normal winter temperatures for Saskatchewan.

“We’re going to be falling Tuesday back to -10 C,” he said. “Wednesday is going to be falling even further to -20 C and then Thursday onward, you’re going to be stuck in -20 C to -25 C.”

Luzny said the low pressure system that’s heading for the province for the middle of next week could bring even more snow.

“The only system of note would be coming on Tuesday evening into Wednesday,” he said.

“(It is) still too far away to make any accurate proclamations just yet, but it looks like we’re going to be getting a snowfall and some potential blowing snow for southern Saskatchewan.”

Luzny said he expects there to be around five to 10 centimeters of snow.

Snow removal crews in both Regina and Saskatoon are still grading and sanding roads from the last storm, but that work is almost complete.

Read more:

• What will the weather be like in Saskatchewan this winter?
• Saskatoon firefighters rescue dog from freezing South Saskatchewan River
• Replace pets’ walks with short bathroom breaks in extreme cold: SPCA