The driver for this summer’s forecast is a heat dome in the United States holding in that warm air. That’s according to Matthew Grinter, a meteorologist with The Weather Network. The summer forecast from The Weather Network is above normal temperatures and especially on the prairies.

“With heat domes, how they function, is every day they kind of build slowly, return cycle where it just gets hotter, the nights remain hotter, and the daytime gets hotter and so that’s what is that driving factor for pretty well the entire country.”

In terms of precipitation for southeastern B.C., the prairies and much of Ontario they are expecting a below normal pattern of precipitation. Grinter says, “In southern Saskatchewan and southern parts of the prairies we expect that’s going to be sort of the central spot for some of the hottest temperatures this year. So that’s where we actually do have well ‘above normal’ temperatures in the forecast and that is definitely concerning because of the wildfires currently ongoing.”

He says while Saskatchewan for the most part is going into summer in better condition but a heat dome in the U.S. is going to drive heat into the southern prairies in addition to not much moisture leading to possible drought conditions.