Saskatchewan residents are no strangers to wild fluctuations in temperatures and weather conditions, particularly in spring as two opposing seasons contend with each other. This week serves as the classic example of those extremes with a mini heatwave opening the week and the potential for frost and flurries closing it out.

Those conditions are thanks to a north ranging jet stream and an incoming cold front says Environment Canada Meteorologist, Terri Lang.

“The jet stream is taking our weather systems to northern Saskatchewan where it’s raining and they’re experiencing freezing rain. What it’s doing is pumping heat across southern Saskatchewan with temperatures peaking into the low to mid-30s.”

Another hot day is in store for Tuesday, and then a cold front will begin to slide in. That will begin to moderate temperatures and then see nighttime values slide to below the freezing mark potentially. 

As far as seeing any widespread moisture, it could be a mixed bag, says Lang.

“Not all the weather models agree on if it’s going to bring the moisture into central parts of Saskatchewan to the northern grain belt. It looks more like southern Saskatchewan will be affected which is really unfortunate because everybody is southern and central Saskatchewan needs the moisture. It looks like Humboldt might be right on the edge of that.”

Some of that moisture may come in the form of snow, Lang confirms. The risk of frost is real throughout Saskatchewan. Most crops haven’t emerged so damage is expected to be light, but not so for those who took advantage of the early warmth to get a head start on the bedding plants.

“We know the rule of thumb on the prairies,” muses Lang. “We always wait until after the long weekend to plant those things.”

Environment Canada says the greatest risk of frost is posed on Wednesday through Friday nights, so hoist the pots into the wagon and dig out the old comforters for the bedding plants. Temperatures are expected to approach close to normal in the coming week.