The month of May was warm and dry across the province, especially in the north.
Monthly weather statistics from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) show temperatures at most weather stations in Saskatchewan were above normal with Key Lake, La Ronge, North Battleford, and Saskatoon recording temperatures three degrees above their respective averages. Regina was 1.9 degrees above normal with an average temperature of 12.9.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Danielle Desjardins says an upper ridge of high pressure brought the warmer air in for most of the month and it likely contributed to the current wildfire situation.
"Few things we look at meteorologically when we're looking at conditions that are conducive for the ignition and spread of wildfires are hot, dry, and windy weather. and we had all of those three criteria in place, so that really did exacerbate the conditions that we saw that were conducive to these wildfires." said Desjardins.
She says other than a week of cooler weather in the third week of May, it was mostly warm. Plus, there wasn't much precipitation to go around, except in the southeast, where rain fell on May 15-16. Desjardins says the large Colorado Low responsible contributed to the higher numbers over Regina, Estevan, and Moose Jaw.
Estevan recorded 97.5 millimetres of precipitation last month, while Regina had 39 mm, and Moose Jaw 28.1 mm. The total for Estevan is 148% above normal, while Regina's total is 87% of normal and Moose Jaw's 57% of normal.
It was the opposite for a few weather stations in the north, as Desjardins noted La Ronge recorded just six millimetres of precipitation, it's second driest May on record, and Prince Albert recorded only five millimetres of rain, making it the third driest month on record.
The warm and dry weather stuck around into June. but Desjardins says there is some relief coming to help with the wildfires.
"Of course, this far out, the exact precipitation amounts are a bit uncertain, but we are looking at a low-pressure system that will bring precipitation to most of the province heading into the weekend. It looks as though right now, the areas currently experiencing the wildfires will get some precipitation this weekend, and it's hopefully going to be substantial amounts that will help the wildfire situation. But of course, as we get closer to the event, we'll be able to refine those amounts, and it does look like a lot more precipitation than we've seen in the last month or so."
Desjardins also said it wasn't just a dry month for the north, but also a dry spring.
