Heat warnings activate cooling plans, tornado threat near Saskatoon

Heat warnings activate cooling plans, tornado threat near Saskatoon

After a wet and cold spring, extreme heat hits the province

As a heat warning grips southern Saskatchewan this weekend, cities of Saskatoon and Regina are rolling out their cooling strategies.

Environment Canada meteorologist Kayla Bilous says an upper ridge parked over the Prairies is pulling in warm, moist air.

Orange warnings are in place for Regina, Moose Jaw and Estevan. Yellow warnings stretch across Saskatoon, Swift Current, Prince Albert, Yorkton and most of the rest of southern Saskatchewan.

“The orange warnings are for the areas that are experiencing really extreme heat for the next couple days here. And the yellow warnings are just kind of more like a regular kind of heat warning,” Bilous said in an interview Saturday morning.

Bilous says the worst of it hits through the weekend before easing slightly by Monday — with warmer-than-normal conditions expected to stick around for another week or two after that.

Saskatoon has activated its 2026 Heat Response, opening cooling locations across the city with 25 partner sites, including Friendship Inn, Station 20 West, Saskatoon Food Bank and Remai Modern.

The city said it has also turned on all of its spray pads from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. while the response plan is active, along with paddling pools.

The city of Regina also declared an extreme heat warning with similar measures to help those struggling with the heat.

At the Sask. Jazz Festival in Saskatoon one father brought his kids out for a swim and then to the music festival. "We got plenty of water... keeping cool," he said, adding his top tip for other parents was simple: pack bug spray along with the sunscreen.

The heat isn’t the only intense weather in the province, storms and threats of tornadoes are also in the forecast.

“There is a low pressure system currently in southern Alberta that's going to track into Saskatchewan this afternoon [Saturday] kind of near the Saskatoon area and that is going to kick off some storms later this evening. And they could also potentially produce tornadoes,” Bilous said.

Bilous says the advice for anyone outdoors this weekend is straightforward: stay in the shade, drink plenty of water, and take breaks. Early signs of heat exhaustion — headache, nausea, dizziness — mean it's time to get somewhere cool and, if symptoms don't improve, seek medical help.

Aishwarya Dudha is a reporter for CBC Saskatchewan based in Saskatoon. She specializes in immigration, justice and cultural issues and elevating voices of vulnerable people. She has previously worked for CBC News Network and Global News. You can email her at aishwarya.dudha@cbc.ca