Summer could be warmer than normal on the prairies

Weather in Saskatchewan has been pretty good so far, even if weather out east has been a disaster, says David Phillips.

Phillips, seniorclimatologist for Environment Canada, joined CBC Radio'sThe Morning Editionon Victoria Day Monday to discuss what the summer months may look like in Saskatchewan.

Phillips said it was about 10 days too early before Environment Canada could start making forecasts, but a provisionallook ahead indicates weather across the country will be pretty good.

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"Up to this time, it was sort of back and forth, up and down, no cool areasexcept up in the arctic," he said.

The weather looks like it may be warmer than normal in Saskatchewan, Phillips added.

"Not as if it's going to be muscle shirts and tank tops every day but we think the flavour of the summer will be milder than normal."

The upcoming week could have one or two days with rain while others look to have temperatures one or two degrees higher than normal.

"Now, the only sort of concern I have is the Americans because I look at them to see what their models are saying, if they're saying the same thing then you have a little bit more confidence in it but they're kind of sitting on the fence, they're not sure which way they're going to go," he said.

But Phillips added he would take normal to warmer than normal weather in a heartbeat.

"Precipitation is always a tough call," he said.

As far as inclement weather goes, it's always part of the summer pattern, regardless of rain or other factors but it doesn't necessarily have to ruin the summer, Phillips added.