Saskatchewan's summer heat stretches into September

After a hot and dry summer in many parts of Saskatchewan, that desert-like weather is continuing into the first few weeks of September.

A large ridge in the jet stream is blocking any systems from passing over Saskatchewan, and will mean a long stretch of sunny and warm weather for the province. This week, temperatures look to hover 5 to 10 C above what's normal for this time of year, with highs in the upper 20s or even 30s in some areas.

On top of the heat, it will be dry. The best chance for rain in Saskatchewan will not come until Sunday, and even then it looks to be light and showery. The above-average temperatures and parched conditions should continue for the next seven days.

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Elevated fire risk

This stretch of dry and hot weather will only aggravate the fire situation in Saskatchewan.

Fire risk in the province has been high to extreme for much of the summer in western Canada.That risk is still high in Saskatchewan, and will only worsen over the next week.

An air quality advisory remains for the Pelican Narrows region, as nearby fires are deteriorating air quality and lowering visibility in the area. That advisory will likely stay in place as long as fires continue to burn in the area.

There are 33 active fires burning right now in the province. The three of greatest concern are those that continue to burn near Pelican Narrows.

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Heat a concern for grain in storage

Although the warm and dry weather is allowing farmers across Saskatchewan to harvest a larger percentage of their crops quickly, the constant heat can cause problems for the crops already in the bin.

Joy Agnew is a researcher at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute. She said that both moisture and temperatures must be controlled to reduce spoilage of grain in the bin.

"Even if the moisture content is considered dry, all grain must be cooled to 15 C or lower to maintain good storage conditions" Agnew said.

Though it can take weeks before spoilage in hot, dry grain, Agnewsaid cooling the grain with fans as soon as possible after binning is a good practice.