Plenty of water and shade will be needed in Saskatchewan this weekend.

Heat advisories have been issued for western and central areas of the province with the humidex possibly reaching +40 degrees on Saturday.  Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Battlefords, Kindersley and Outlook areas are all under advisories.

Environment Canada’s Alyssa Pederson explains that an upper ridge is moving across from Alberta and will eventually travel east into Manitoba. Pederson explains the upper ridge is a collection of warm air that is moving across the prairies throughout the weekend.

Winds could reach speeds up 70 km/hr on Saturday. Pederson says even though there will be heavier winds in the province, they will not be providing much relief since the winds will be circulating warm air. “Really it’s just a hot fan, unless you have water that you can spray and you get that cooling mist, strong winds with heat like this might not feel much cooler.”

With scorching temperatures hitting Saskatchewan this weekend, it should not be a surprise there is a possibility of thunderstorms. Pederson says there is a small risk of thunderstorms in the area tonight but the real concern will be Saturday evening. “As the heat starts to move east into Manitoba, we should see some thunderstorm activity likely developing in western Saskatchewan.”

Central and eastern sections will likely won’t experience a cooldown until Sunday night according to Pederson. She added the western sections will likely feel temperatures dropping earlier in the day on Sunday.