SASKATOON – Temperatures soared into positive single digits Tuesday and Wednesday in Saskatoon with more heat on the way. Wednesday saw the mercury rise to 5.1 degrees .
The reason for the heat is primarily a ridge of high pressure that has built into the upper atmosphere. While the air at the surface remains slightly cooler thanks to snow and cooler air that has settled, 1.5 kilometres above the ground temperatures are sitting around the 10 to 15 degree mark.
When winds are strong enough to mix the air vertically together, we start to tap into the heat that’s above and generally speaking, temperatures will rise and fall as the wind picks up and dies down.
The phenomenon was experienced Wednesday in the Bridge City around 1 a.m. when winds picked up to around 28 km/h and temperatures rose 4 degrees at a time when they normally fall. Melted snow should be a common sight in the days ahead.
READ MORE: Positive winter temperatures coming to Saskatoon
Saskatoon may come close on Thursday to breaking the high temperature record of 7.2 degrees set in 1939 if enough warm air comes down to the surface. Keep close watch on the temperature Thursday afternoon to see if history is made.
The warmth is expected to continue through the rest of the week before a cooler airmass slides in this weekend, bringing temperatures back toward seasonal. With the change, comes a potential risk of freezing rain in Saskatoon on Saturday as precipitation falls out of the warmer mid-levels of the atmosphere into what will then be below freezing surface temperatures.
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