Heat records fall throughout Saskatchewan

Many Saskatchewan communities recorded their hottest-ever temperatures for September 18 this year. (Emily Pasiuk/CBC - image credit)
Many Saskatchewan communities recorded their hottest-ever temperatures for September 18 this year. (Emily Pasiuk/CBC - image credit)

While temperatures were rising across Saskatchewan on Saturday, weather records were falling in well over a dozen communities.

Environment Canada says a low pressure system tracking through the central Prairies drew a "warm, southerly flow" into southern areas of the province on Saturday. This gave many communities their hottest September 18 on record.

In the Nipawin area, temperatures reached 30.5 degrees, inching past the old record of 29.4 degrees that had held for 80 years.

Regina and Saskatoon also saw record temperatures. In Regina, the new record is 33.3 degrees, surpassing the old record of 31.8 degrees set in 1981. Saskatoon saw 32.9 degrees on Saturday, while the old record set in 1966 was 31.1 degrees.

Some of the most dramatic new records on Saturday were set in the Coronach area — 34 degrees, compared to a previous record of 31 degrees — the Rockglen area — 33.3 degrees, compared to a previous record of 27.4 degrees — and the Wynyard area 31.2 degrees, compared to a previous record of 27.1 degrees.

Other areas of the province that saw record temperatures on Saturday included Assiniboia, Broadview, Hudson Bay, Indian Head, Last Mountain Lake, Lucky Lake, Melfort, Moose Jaw, Watrous, Weyburn and Yorkton.