Like the Wicked Witch of the West, Saskatoon is melting.
Environment Canada meteorologist John Paul Cragg says recent warm temperatures are due to a combination of air masses.
"Often you see this fluctuation between the cold arctic air and the warmed pacific air moving into the province back and forth, so you see this huge drop in temperatures followed by an extreme rise in temperatures as these two air masses battle it out.”
Overnight temperatures into Friday morning stayed above zero in Saskatoon.
Cragg says that's a rare phenomenon.
"That, in February, happens about once in every 15 Februaries," he said.
The warm weather is expected to continue until Tuesday or Wednesday, according to Cragg. Average temperatures are then expected to continue for the rest of the month.
Peter Fogarty, an ice maker for Saskatoon’s Frosted Gardens festival this weekend, has been forced to work indoors because of the big melt.
He says he’s had to prepare and manufacture about 30 ice blocks, which weigh 300 pounds each, at his studio, instead of building the ice on-site.
This year's Frosted Gardens event will take place at the Forestry Farm Park & Zoo.
"On site, we're looking at keeping the sculptures out of the direct sun as well as trying to protect them from the wind," Fogarty said.
Outdoor skating rinks are also melting quickly in Saskatoon. The Meewasin Valley Outdoor Rink downtown has been closed until further notice, and a family skating party scheduled for the rink on Monday has been rescheduled to March 5.
