Brace for a hot, dry Saskatchewan summer: Environment Canada

While it’s still spring, it feels more like summer in Saskatchewan — and temperatures are forecasted to continue to be higher than average into the summer.

Typical temperatures for May are around 20 C. On Tuesday, Saskatoon is expecting a high of 30 C.

Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), said a “big ridge of high pressure” built over Western Canada is the reason for the warmth and record-setting temperatures in some regions.

Central and northern Saskatchewan have a 70 to 90 per cent chance of being above normal temperatures for May, June and July — according to a three month outlook from ECCC.

“It’s going to be a warm summer,” Lang told CTV News.

ECCC modelling shows there’s a 30 to 50 per cent chance of below normal precipitation through May, June and July.

Amid the lack of moisture and heat, Saskatchewan waterway levels could be lower than normal — as a result of low snowpack levels in the Rocky Mountains.

Lake Diefenbaker and the Saskatchewan rivers rely on melting snow from the Rocky Mountains.

With the warm temperatures in British Columbia and Alberta, the melt is happening sooner — and quicker, because there isn’t much snow to melt, according to John Pomeroy, director of the Global Water Futures program.

“It’s melting fast in the heat. It's the fastest mountain snow melt I've seen in my life,” Pomeroy said.

SaskPower depends on the South Saskatchewan River to generate hydro electricity.

“This river’s got a lot to do and there’s not much snow melting into it right now, which is a little bit of a worry,” Pomeroy told CTV News.

Low water levels in Lake Diefenbaker could impact irrigation, according to Pomeroy.