Southern Saskatchewan is getting some relief from the cold temperatures that gripped the province last week and into the first half of the weekend.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Brian Luzny says the warmer temperatures are caused by warm Pacific air and says they will last until around Wednesday.

“The cold was caused by kind of a stagnant, cold, Arctic high air mass that had been sitting over the region for a couple of days, just getting colder and colder. Now we’re getting this push, albeit a little bit of a weak push, of warm Pacific air from the ocean, over the rocks and spilling in Southern Saskatchewan.”

Luzny adds that warm breaks happen occasionally but says they become more sparse as winter progresses.

“It’s not uncommon to get these breaks, we do get brief pushes from the Pacific coming over the mountains. The deeper we get into January and February, the more rare they become.”

He says that while the temperatures will be around the zero mark, it’s still important to check conditions.

“Besides the warm and cold, we are expecting a few different pushes of snow and freezing rain, depending where you are in the province. Tuesday and Wednesday aren’t completely benign weather, so keep an eye on the watches and warnings and you’ll be in good shape.”

Following the warm start of the week, temperatures are likely to plunge back below the 20s.