Meteorologist recaps January, predicts colder week ahead

It may not have felt like it as temperatures whipsawed between extremes, but January 2017 registered an identical average temperature to January 2016.
 
“In this year it’s been more of an up-and-down, back-and-forth situation,” said Environment Canada chief meteorologist David Phillips during a Monday morning interview on the Brent Loucks Show.

January saw six days of temperatures below – 30 C early in the month. Those extreme cold days were balanced out by seven days above 0 C.

“It averaged out to be 2.5 degrees warmer than normal,” said Phillips, noting this was the mark set in January 2016, as well.

With Saskatoon enjoying an expected high around 1 C Monday, Phillips warned temperatures would be coming down through the rest of the week – but said he expected skies to remain clear.
 
Phillips said his overall prediction for February’s weather to be a bit more stable than January was.
 
“My sense, a little bit of up-and-down, but maybe not as contrasting a month as we saw in January,” he said.
 
Phillips said even with a dip in temperatures this week, he’s optimistic for the month ahead.

“Typically, on average, February is about 3 degrees warmer than January. So we know we’re on the upswing,” he said.