Hot Saskatchewan spring welcome weather for some, concern for others

Regina's Norm McLeod was rototilling his garden this week. Usually, that chore would begin three weeks from now. But warm, even hot weather, means the garden tools are out much earlier.

"The sooner the better. It means we get food on the table that much sooner," McLeod said.

Temperatures soared into the 30's in many areas of Saskatchewan this week. That's not welcome weather in areas that are bone dry and trying to avert forest fires. Tanis Monastyrski and Cassidy Olson took their young children on a morning stroll around Regina's Wascana Lake. They like warm weather, but they're cautious about wishing for extreme temperatures.

"Well I hope it doesn't create the fires it did last year," Monstyrski said. "Warm is nice. But I don't want it to do bad things for farmers and cause forest fires."

But during his own stroll around Regina's Wascana Park, a shirtless Kevin Bettin said, he'll take a summer-like spring. "You know what I'm not gonna complain. I'll take it all summer," Bettin said.

Jackie Yaworski isn't complaining either. She works outside, as a letter carrier. "The sun is shining, the birds are chirping. It's the ultimate job on days like these," Yaworski said.

Heat here to stay

David Phillips with Environment Canada said Saskatoon set a new daytime high on Wednesday, breaking a nearly 100-year-old record.

"1918 was the previous record on this day May 4, it got up to 30 C but today it's going to clobber that record it's going to get up to 32 C," Phillips said. The thermometer hit 31.8 C at 3 p.m. CST.

There's a chance Saskatoon and Regina can break records on Thursday, with the daytime highs expected to be up again near 32 C. Phillips said the last time Saskatoon saw temperatures that high was last July, when the daytime high reached 35.8 C.

Temperatures will continue to hover between 25 and 30 C with a slight cool down expected Friday when the high reaches 21 C., but that's still four degrees above normal, Phillips said.