Heat warnings issued for nearly all of Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is back under the extreme heat, with Environment Canada issuing heat warnings for nearly every region of the province.

Meteorologist Eric Dykes says daytime highs could reach the mid-30s with little relief overnight, with lows in the upper teens to low-20s.

The heat will also stick around for a while.

“We’re going to be seeing this heat persist with minor alterations in the temperatures here and there, a few degrees here or there, through the next week or so,” Dykes said.

The hottest part of the province is expected to be the southwest corner.

While hot, Dykes doesn’t expect any records broken in Regina, where the temperature could reach 32 C. The record high for July 15 is 36.1 C, set in 1886.

“On Saturday we’re expecting only, and I say that with air quotes, a high of 30 degrees for the city,” he said.

“So records being broken in Regina, at least, doesn’t look like it’s going to occur.  Whether or not that’s going to occur in the rest of the province, that remains to be seen.”

Several areas remain under a special air quality statement due to ongoing wildfires. Dykes does not see much of a change in the coming days, even with a bit of rain on Saturday.

“With a few (millimetres) of rain forecast for where those fires up in northern Saskatchewan, that can help alleviate some of the smoke, perhaps,” he said. “But to what degree is again, we’ll see certainly when we get into Sunday and see what those fires are doing.”