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Studer St. in La Ronge is free of snow after above-average temperatures this week. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)
record heat

La Ronge breaks heat record set in 1926

Mar 22, 2019 | 12:07 PM

La Ronge broke a nearly century-old record Wednesday when the temperature reached 17.5 C.

That’s according to Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist Terri Lang, who said the old record of 14.4 C was set back in 1926. On that same day across western Canada, she stated there were 79 weather records broken, which speaks to how extensive the heat was this past week.

“We had a large upper-ridge of high pressure that moved in across all of western Canada,” Lang said. “We just passed the spring equinox, which means the days are getting longer and we’re getting more heat during the day.”

The warm temperatures aren’t expected to last, however, as Lang expects colder weather coming for the weekend. With a ridge of arctic high pressure on the way, she added residents will notice the cold Saturday before it reaches a low Sunday around -15 C. With a potential weather system coming through the region next week, Lang forecasted a chance for snow.

Hot weather should be coming in April as Lang stated northern Saskatchewan tends warm up faster than the southern half of the province. She said the trees tend to absorb some of the heat, while in the south the heat doesn’t stay until all the snow has melted. But, she warned residents shouldn’t put their shovels away just yet.

“We know it can snow well into April, so this system kind of just gave us a taste of what’s to come,” she said.

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno

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