Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Dannielle Desjardins says it was a rollercoaster month for temperatures in Saskatchewan.

The New Year started off cold but was followed by multiple temperature swings back and forth—from extremely cold to above normal and back.  The last ten days of January were warmer than normal and that put most centres on the plus side of the ledger.

As you see in the chart below, it was much warmer in northern areas of Saskatchewan. (All of the charts and graphs are courtesy of Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Much of southern and central Saskatchewan was extremely dry in January, with many stations recording only one-third of their average precipitation or less. North Battleford and Swift Current had their second driest January on record. The only exception was Cypress Hills in the extreme southwest corner of the provinces, which had above normal precipitation thanks to two prolonged heavy snowfalls.