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We might just miss a heat warning, but temperatures will certainly be on the way up this week. (ID 110197817 © Kittisak Jirasittichai | Dreamstime.com)
Heat Warning Possible

Hot weather could bring summer’s first heat warning

Jul 11, 2022 | 2:39 PM

Your air conditioner is about to get more of a workout. While it’s been a cooler summer so far, the temperature is about to tick upward.

According to Environment Canada, temperatures in the Prince Albert area and through much of the rest of the province are going to break the 30-degree barrier on several occasions this week. We may even see the season’s first heat warning.

“Nothing but sunshine,” said Alysa Pederson, regional meteorologist with Environment Canada. “The next couple of days, we have what we call a ridge of high pressure moving in. It looks to be bringing in temperatures a little bit above normal.”

Normal for Prince Albert for this time of year is in the 23 or 24-degree range, which we should be consistently above for the next week or so. It’s been a cooler summer, so being above average in the temperature department has been rare.

“It’s kind of what we expect for the spring and the start of summer when we’re dealing with a La Nina year,” said Pederson. “That’s what we’re in here. We haven’t really had temperatures in the prairies yet being too much above normal, but that kind of changes for the next couple of days.”

While there will be a slight cool down on Thursday, it will be very slight (only to around average temperatures) and then shoot quickly back up again. So far this year, Prince Albert has only had one day above 30 degrees but that is about to change.

“For northern Saskatchewan, which is what Prince Albert gets lumped in with, the heat (warning) criteria is 29 degrees with an overnight low of 14 or higher for two days,” Pederson said. “Just a little bit further south, for Saskatoon and those areas, the temperature requirement is 32 over 16 so overnight lows of 16.”

This warm front moving in isn’t news to Environment Canada as they’ve been tracking it for a couple of weeks. Weather predictions weeks out don’t always hold true, but they were fairly certain a warmup was coming this time around.

“It’s going to be hot, so remind people to stay hydrated,” said Pederson. “But enjoy the sunshine!”

Pederson added even though Saskatoon has different heat criteria from Prince Albert, it will be hot enough there for a heat warning to be possible as well. Most of Saskatchewan could be under a heat warning at various times throughout this week.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP

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