Saskatchewan’s winter warm-up is providing a break from the deep cold that often defines February, and forecasters say the milder stretch is not ending anytime soon.
Environment Canada said temperatures across much of the province remain above seasonal norms, driven by a weather pattern that continues to favour warm air moving into the Prairies.
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Meteorologist James Colangelo said the atmosphere had settled into a configuration that shows little sign of shifting in the short term.
“We’ve had definitely unusually warm, warmer-than-seasonal temperatures as of late,” Colangelo said.
He explained the warmth had been reinforced by repeated pushes of air from the west, including Chinook events that developed in southern Alberta and spread eastward into Saskatchewan.
Colangelo said the jet stream remains far enough north to keep the coldest Arctic air from moving south.
“That really cold Arctic air just kind of stays locked up in the Arctic,” he said.
As a result, he said, Saskatchewan is expected to remain in a milder pattern through at least the middle of the month.
“It’s looking like maybe until the 16th or 17th of February,” Colangelo said, adding that a broader shift could follow after that point.
While the warm weather has been welcome for many, it has also contributed to lingering fog across parts of the province, particularly overnight and in the morning.
Colangelo said a slow-moving surface trough parked over Saskatchewan allowed moisture to pool near the ground, reducing visibility in several regions.
“There really hasn’t been much change in the conditions to flush any of that out,” he said.
He said fog advisories could persist overnight, especially across eastern Saskatchewan, before improving as a low-pressure system moves through the northern half of the province.
“That will likely flush that fog out and really improve visibility,” Colangelo said.
Colangelo also acknowledged that many Saskatchewan residents feel winters now swing more sharply between extremes.
“Anecdotally for sure, I definitely have noticed that,” he said.
He said stretches of unusually warm weather followed by sudden cold snaps can create a misleading picture when people look only at seasonal averages.
“If you just look at that average temperature, it can kind of be deceiving,” Colangelo said. “You kind of have to dig into the individual events.”
Despite the mild conditions, Colangelo cautioned that winter is far from finished.
“We may see temperatures drop below seasonal, maybe a week, a week and a half out,” he said.
For now, however, Saskatchewan remains under the influence of a warmer pattern with colder air still waiting well to the north.
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