A warmer, sunnier few days might lower the volume of snow in Prince Albert. (Susan McNeil/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Mild Meltdown

Rising temperatures could start freeze-thaw cycle this week

Nov 21, 2022 | 12:00 PM

We’ve got many more months of winter ahead of us in Saskatchewan, but the temperatures are going to relent just a little bit this coming week. We might even see some extra sunshine during the shortening daylight hours.

A ridge of high pressure, driven by atmospheric conditions off the coast of British Columbia, is going to drive across the Prince Albert area and much of Western Canada this week, bringing temperatures up over the next four or five days. For several of those days, the daytime high will reach or even pass the freezing mark.

“We get the warming winds, milder temperatures, so we’re certainly running above-average temperatures for the week,” said Environment Canada regional meteorologist Terri Lang. “Average temperatures for this time of year are around – 6 C.”

If milder temperatures are more to your liking, then you’ll enjoy the rest of the work week, but it does come with a downside. According to Lang, temperatures are at the perfect point to set into a freeze-thaw cycle that could leave roads and sidewalks very slick.

“Prince Albert will be close to the freezing mark, but certainly people should be aware of that,” Lang said. “That black ice can form and when it’s glistening it looks like it’s melted but it can be freezing rain. It also plays havoc with making potholes too.”

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As for the deposits of snow we’ve gotten throughout the month so far, they won’t completely disappear, and they may even grow today with some snow in the forecast. The snowpack should lessen a little bit, however.

“The fastest conditions where we lose snow is when it gets above freezing and if it’s windy,” Lang said. “Especially those mild winds from the southwest. Those are chinook winds and the word chinook literally means snow eater. So we probably lose some of that snowpack.”

Losing some of the snowpack can help it get warmer later on as well, as it’s easier for the ground to absorb heat when it’s uncovered.

“Albedo is the ground’s ability to absorb heat or reflect it away,” Lang said. “A black soil field will absorb so much more heat and give off that heat as compared to a snowy field, which will bounce most of the heat away.”

Lang added, however, that we’re not likely to lose enough snow for the ground to absorb a lot of heat, and after this week, colder temperatures should start to creep in.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP