The December heat wave across most of Saskatchewan could stick around almost until Christmas.
Mike Russo with Environment Canada said the prairies are currently receiving a burst of Pacific air, with westerly winds pumping in mild temperatures.
The normal temperatures for this time of the year in Regina is -8 C and Saskatoon usually sees temperatures around -6 C. Both cities have highs of 4 C on Friday.
“The flow right now is out of the west and because it originates from the Pacific Ocean, it is driving in those milder temperatures from that region unlike what we see normally during the winter kind of with a north, northwesterly flow originating from the Arctic.”
Overnight lows will also still be above normal for December, which is around -19 C. The overnight forecast for both cities on Friday is -6 C.
Russo said these warm temperatures will be here for the foreseeable future.
“The seven-day forecast right now has essentially got temperatures up and around the zero mark.”
He said there will be one exception on Sunday when the temperature may dip to -7 C but the warmer temperatures will return on Monday.
While it will be warm, Regina and Saskatoon are not approaching record territory. The record for Saskatoon is 7.9 C back in 1997 and Regina set their mark of 13.2 C in 1997.
Not all of Saskatchewan will have sunshine and warm weather. Areas in the northern parts of the province near the border could see as much as 10 to 15 centimetres or between four and six inches of snow.