
Prince Albert residents were back in the deep freeze on Sunday and Monday, but temperatures are expected to rise by at least 20 C for the rest of the week.
It’s part of a series of seesaw temperatures changes Saskatchewan residents have had to deal with this year, and while it may seem unusual, Environment and Climate Change Canada scientist Christy Climenhaga said it’s not.
“What we’ve been seeing lately is that flip-flopping in temperatures not only this month but back in December as well,” Climenhaga said. “Those warm swings to cold swings and back which are not entirely uncommon through the winter in the prairies, even though it may feel a little bit strange seeing these big swings as they happen.”
Temperatures fell to as low as -34 C Monday morning, although with the wind chill it felt like -45. However, the rest of the week calls for temperatures as high as -4 C on Tuesday, Friday, and next Sunday.
“When we are looking at our upper atmosphere, that kind of guides where our warmer than normal and cooler than normal air will sit, and it’s giving us that pattern, that’s giving us that pendulum swing from the warmer side of things to the colder side,” Climenhaga explained. “Right now we’re sitting in that Artic air, that ridge of high pressure really pushing that cold, cold air into the prairies, and then as we see that influx of more Pacific air, we’ll see that swing back up to warmer conditions. Again, it’s a very sharp temperature swing, but not uncommon, really, for Saskatchewan. (It’s) something you see in the winter.”
Climenhaga added that it’s difficult to say exactly how many big temperature swings are normal for a Saskatchewan winter. However, she said Prince Albert residents shouldn’t be worried if more are ahead.
“With our winter weather in the Prairies, our normals for the Prince Albert Area at this time of the year about a -13 C daily high or -25 C daily low, but when we talk about those normal that’s just kind of that average Daily High as you look through our history. It’s almost more uncommon to see every day of the month right around normal. You do often get these big swings.”
Climenhaga added that weather scientists are more interested in how long the temperature swings last than how high or low the extremes are.
For people who are looking to plan outdoor events this month like cross country skiing or snowmobiling, Climenhaga advised them to prepare for a bit of everything. Scientists are predicting lower temperatures this week, followed by more cold, wind, and blowing snow—especially further south.
“Over the next couple of days, you kind of have to have all of the winter weather preparation in your brain (for) a little bit of snowfall, those cold temperatures and of course highway travel if you do run into that blowing snow,” she said.
In December, temperatures in Prince Albert fluctuated from a low of -30.6 C on Dec. 4, to a high of 4.2 C on Dec. 7, to a low of -36.9 C on Dec. 12, to another high of 1.2 C on Christmas Day.
editorial@paherald.sk.ca