The new year has started out with a warm spell here in southern Saskatchewan.  

While the temperatures haven’t gotten too close to any records, things have been well above seasonal, with day time highs of nearly 5° recorded on Saturday and Sunday. The trend doesn’t look like it will be ending anytime soon, either. 

Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the presence of a ridge of high pressure in the Pacific Ocean has resulted in the weather we are seeing here now. 

“That ridge of high pressure that’s kind of anchored itself over the Pacific and sort of directing that temperature to the north, putting us in the mild air, that’s looking like it’s not going to move at all, at least into the shorter term,” Lang explained. She added they can look out about 10 days with confidence, and say the temperatures will likely sit around. 

For many people, January usually signals the start of the coldest part of the winter, which can sometimes carry on into February. Lang pointed out that while we may not be used to it, this weather isn’t exactly unusual. 

“We know that this time of year it can be very, very cold – in fact, our record temperatures are closer to -40° - but we also know this time of year can be very mild,” she pointed out. 

The record daytime high for January 6th is 7.4 °C set in 2006. The record cold was -35.2 °C set in 1999.