(Image Credit: File photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Cam Lee

Expect some melting

Warm start to February across Saskatchewan

Feb 3, 2026 | 12:51 PM

The January cold snap is now a distant memory, as February has started off with much warmer weather. 

High temperatures will be nearly 20 degrees above normal for this time of year later this week. 

James Colangelo of Environment and Climate Change Canada said an intense ridge will make its way from the west coast through the southern Prairies, bringing with it some warm temperatures. 

“Specifically Thursday there, it looks like maybe 5 to 7 C there, as that warm air peaks up,” Colangelo said. 

The northeast, Prince Albert, and North Battleford areas are forecast to hit 7 C on Thursday, while La Ronge should see a high of 1 C. 

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“A lot of warm air coming in from the west, and that ridge that’s pushing in which will bring the jet stream really far north,” Colangelo explained. 

Above normal temperatures are expected to stay this week, and possibly through much of next week as well, according to Colangelo. That’s a far cry from the past few weeks, which saw wind chills at –40 C or lower. 

While North Battleford isn’t expecting much in the way of precipitation during the warmest days, Melfort, Tisdale, Nipawin and Prince Albert could see some rain during Thursday, with snow possible that night. La Ronge is expecting a rain and snow mix on Thursday with the temperature hovering around the freezing mark.  

That precipitation could mean some challenging travel or walking conditions. Conditions will also be windy Wednesday and Thursday, meaning a chance of drifting snow, which could also be a challenge for drivers.  

“Any rain that does fall Thursday afternoon will quickly freeze through the night on Thursday, so it could cause some slippery conditions for the region on Thursday evening and potentially into Friday morning.” 

Colangelo said the next week or two should be mild for the most part before temperatures return to average seasonal conditions toward the middle of February. The average daytime high this time of year is around –11 C. 

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cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com