Saskatchewan shatters January temperature record with 21.1 °C (70 °F) in Maple Creek, Canada

On January 30, 2024, Maple Creek in Saskatchewan, Canada, recorded a temperature of 21.1 °C (70 °F), marking the warmest January day on record in the province and falling just 1.1 °C (2.0 °F) short of the national Canadian January record.

The record-breaking warmth was part of an unusual pattern that affected the Prairies, leading to temperatures 10 – 20+ °C (18 – 36 °F) above normal. This abnormal warmth led to multiple records being shattered across Saskatchewan.

The temperature recorded in Maple Creek on Tuesday, January 30 reached 21.1 °C (70 °F), setting not only a January record for the community but also a new monthly record for Saskatchewan. This reading was just 1.1 °C (2.0 °F) shy of the national monthly record of 22.2 °C (72.0 °F) set in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on January 26, 1950. The average high for January 30 in Maple Creek is -5 °C (23 °F).

In Swift Current, Saskatchewan, a notable record was also set on Tuesday with a temperature of 17 °C (62.6 °F), establishing it as the highest temperature recorded for the month in that location.

I did not have Saskatchewan being warmer than Key West FL at the end of January on my weather bingo card. #SKwx #FLwx pic.twitter.com/wFGwThvuYV

— Rob's Obs (@robsobs) January 30, 2024

On January 28, just two days before Maple Creek’s record-setting day, 14 other communities in Saskatchewan had already broken their temperature records. These communities included Buffalo Narrows, Collins Bay, Coronach, and Cypress Hills Provincial Park among others.

• Buffalo Narrows: 7.8 °C (46.0 °F), previous record 5.1 °C (41.2 °F) set in 2000
• Collins Bay: 0.9 °C (33.6 °F), previous record -2.1 °C (28.2 °F) set in 2000
• Coronach: 8.9 °C (48.0 °F), previous record 8.5 °C (47.3 °F) set in 1988
• Cypress Hills Provincial Park: 10.7 °C (51.3 °F), previous record 10 °C (50.0 °F) set in 1992
• Key Lake: 3.3 °C (37.9 °F), previous record 1.5 °C (34.7 °F) set in 1989
• La Ronge: 4.7 °C (40.5 °F), previous record 4.4 °C (39.9 °F) set in 2001
• Meadow Lake: 5 °C (41.0 °F), previous record 4 °C (39.2 °F) set in 2011
• Regina: 4.7 °C (40.5 °F), previous record 3.9 °C (39.0 °F) set in 1909
• Rockglen: 6.3 °C (43.3 °F), previous record 5.2 °C (41.4 °F) set in 2017
• Southend Reindeer: 1.5 °C (34.7 °F), previous record 0 °C (32.0 °F) set in 2001
• Stony Rapids: -3.4 °C (25.9 °F), previous record -3.4 °C (25.9 °F) set in 2020
• Uranium City: -0.4 °C (31.3 °F), previous record -2.7 °C (27.1 °F) set in 2000
• Waskesiu Lake: 7.7 °C (45.9 °F), previous record 3.5 °C (38.3 °F) set in 1992
• Wynyard: 5.4 °C (41.7 °F), previous record 3.8 °C (38.8 °F) set in 2016

Even in Manitoba, the town of Churchill on Hudson Bay recorded an unusually high temperature of 14.5 °C (58.1 °F), contributing to the wave of record-breaking temperatures across the Canadian Prairies​​.

According to The Weather Network meteorologists, the abnormal warmth building over the Prairies arrived courtesy of the same pattern responsible for drenching rains in British Columbia.

Victoria, the capital of the Canadian province of British Columbia, recorded its warmest January 29 ever with 15.3 °C (59.5 °F) at the Gonzales weather station, surpassing the previous record of 13.3 °C (55.9 °F) set in 1931. Victoria’s record-breaking warmth follows closely on the heels of the coldest January 12 in 55 years.

References:

¹ Warm weather breaks 14 temperature records in Saskatchewan – CJME – January 29, 2024

² Warmth will start to fade on the Prairies after January records set – The Weather Network – January 31, 2024

³ Record highs in Victoria follow coldest January 12 in 55 years, Canada – The Watchers – January 31, 2024

Featured image credit: GFS, Zoom Earth, The Watchers. Data acquired at 19:00 UTC on January 30 2024