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The sky does look clearer to many in Regina and Saskatoon, but it won’t stay that way for long.
“Enjoy it while it lasts because it looks like today (and) tomorrow … it should be more clear than it has been,” said meteorologist Alysa Pederson with Environment Canada.
“Later this week … we’re starting to look at more smoke possibly moving into the area.”
Saskatoon is currently sitting at a four on the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), marking an improvement in air quality that has been seen in most of central and western Saskatchewan.
The return of hazy skies is looking more imminent for Saskatoon, as Regina is more removed from the fires and has been seeing less smoke overall.
Both cities can hope to see some southerly winds to help push the smoke further away, according to Pederson.
Hot and dry: Record-setting July in Saskatchewan
July in Saskatchewan had high temperatures and low precipitation, which often go hand in hand, Pederson said.
In Saskatoon, this July was the third warmest on record, sitting 2.9 degrees above normal temperatures for the month when compared to 126 years of data.
It was also the eighth-driest July in Saskatoon — the city only received 17.7 millimetres of rain last month.
“Usually when we get these really warm years, that’s when we get less precipitation. They happen at the same time,” Pederson said.
The hottest July on record for Saskatoon happened in 1936.
The ongoing drought conditions have made for an extended period of extreme dryness. Pederson said Saskatoon is seeing its driest winter-into-summer ever when looking at data from September 2020 to July 2021.
Saskatoon has only seen 159 millimetres of precipitation since September. The typical year sees about 311 millimetres.
Conversely, Regina is “not quite the driest” according to Pederson. With 236 millimetres of precipitation since September 2020, Pederson said Regina didn’t crack the top five for driest during the same time period.
It was, however, the fifth warmest July on record for Regina.
“The dryness in Saskatchewan is really Kindersley up to North Battleford,” Pederson said, adding this July was the driest on record for North Battleford.
