After weeks of rain and gloomy weather, Saskatchewan residents and visitors are enjoying a stretch of sunshine. One Saskatoon man said it finally feels like summer is here. “Just when you thought the weather is getting better, then there is rain, and it was kind of a roller coaster, but I think finally we are there,” Marvin Ankrah said. For many, it’s a welcome change after recent rainfall led to flooding in parts of the province. Christy Climenhaga, a scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said Saskatoon recorded nearly 104 millimetres (mm) of rain in June, well above the monthly average of about 75 mm. Regina received about 147 mm of rain last month, above the 85 mm average. Climenhaga said an upper ridge is expected to develop over the region, bringing warmer, drier conditions. “We are expecting that to develop probably into early next week. It’s still early, so we’re going to have to keep our eye on it, but that often will mean warmer, drier conditions,” she said. The forecast is welcome news for the Sask Jazz Fest, with organizers saying the warmer weather is expected to boost walk-up ticket sales. “There’s really two groups of people, people who are like, I love the Jazz Fest or I love the lineup, and I’m going no matter what, and so they buy their tickets well in advance and then we have those who are like, ‘I am not into the rain, and I’m going to wait until that day,’” said Shannon Josdal, the festival’s executive director. Josdal said it also brings out more people to the festival’s free events. Sask Jazz Fest runs through Saturday, with the stretch of warm, sunny weather expected to continue into next week.
