Dry conditions due to summer heat are the reason that municipalities in the northwest region of Saskatchewan continue with fire bans. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Heat Fire Bans

Heat continues, fire bans remain

Jul 10, 2021 | 8:00 AM

After a historically hot week during July long, Saskatchewan residents can expect temperatures to remain high, just not as extreme as a week ago.

The Battlefords and Meadow Lake areas are both hovering around 30 Celsius for the weekend, peaking this afternoon at 32 C and 33 C respectively. Meteorologist Terri Lang said the start of the week had been a return to seasonal averages compared to the past 30 years.

“Moving forward, we can expect some warmer days, but certainly not to the extent of last week,” she said.

Heading into Canada Day, the northwest region of the province saw a number of record temperatures, especially in the Meadow Lake area. June 30 had a record of 35.9 C, July 1 hit 34.2 C and July 2 had a record of 36.1 C. The Battlefords area saw records of 35.5 C on Canada Day and 38.3 C on July 2.

While the heat warnings related to temperatures this weekend won’t be as concerning as last week, Lang said to expect things to stay dry. In June, Saskatchewan had 45 mm of rain, compared to the 65 mm average. That means the province managed just 69 per cent of its average precipitation, which is the 32nd driest June on record in 80 years of data.

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“Still running quite dry, so I think any showers and thundershowers would come as quite welcome,” Lang said.

For precautions, Lang said it’s important to keep staying in the shade and hydrating, as cumuluative heat is the biggest worry.

“Once it goes on with three or four days of really hot temperatures like that, or there’s no air conditioning, this can take its toll,” she said.

(File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Fire bans expected to remain till significant rain

Deputy Chief Joe Grela of the Meadow Lake Fire Department said both the city and the RM have continued their fire bans. He added that this is unlikely to change soon, with the forecast looking warm. Environment Canada isn’t predicting any rainfall through to July 15 in Meadow Lake, where the predicted daytime high is 32 C. The Battlefords is expected to be sunny and around 33 C that afternoon.

“We didn’t really have any rain at all,” Grela said. “We had a sprinkle early Monday morning, but that’s it. It’s been very dry here.”

Having everything so substantially dry poses significantly more risk for flames to catch on to flammable materials. Grela said a particularly great risk is when the temperature is higher than the humidity.

“That’s when it is very dangerous, even a cigarette could start a fire,” he said. “So, [we need] to pay attention to the fire bans.”

The province issued a fire ban on all Crown lands and provincial parks last week. There are 43 active wildfires in Saskatchewan as of 5 p.m. on July 9 according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.

North Battleford Fire Chief Lindsay Holm said they also have no intention to changing the fire ban anytime soon, a ban that’s been in place throughout the spring and summer.

“We’ve had two rainfalls lately, but conditions remain dry still,” he said.

However, some residents may still be able to access summer traditions in the backyard, so long as they have the right permit.

“The fire pits are still able to be utilized if approved and inspected, so we’re trying to be as cautious as possible,” Holm said. “We just don’t want open air burning other than approved pits.”

Once there’s a large burst of rain for more than a day, Holm said that could help remove the ban, but that it’s been prudent that they’ve maintained it. In the meantime, he said staff will continue to keep monitoring conditions within city limits.

“We do that on a regular basis, as well as monitoring water levels in the river, just so we are on top of anything that could create public hazards…We want to ensure that we are doing everything we can.”

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW