Long weekend warmth will also see a return for wildfire smoke in the southeast

With May long weekend being one of the first opportunities for people to enjoy a summer vacation, the forecast or the weekend can be crucial for people's enjoyment.

After coming out of a quick dip into cold temperatures, those are rising up in the southeast as high as 30 on Monday.

That's according to Environment Canada Meteorologist Terri Lang, who says the return to warmth will be good for the southeast.

"As far as all May long weekends go in Saskatchewan, this looks like a good one. We have lots of sunshine and warm temperatures on the way, maybe even hit the 30 mark on Monday, so folks should be aware of the heat."

But the return to warm temperatures will also see some smoke back in the southeast, which has blown down thanks to the wildfires up north.

"It also looks like we'll have a return of the smoke. I don't think it's going to get as bad as it did there a few days ago, but certainly, it's going to be hanging around, probably likely to return tomorrow sometime and kind of be around for a better part of the weekend." 

It's unknown how thick the smoke will be, but Lang says it's not likely to get as thick as it did earlier this week.

"It's hard to say because we don't know how much of the smoke will mix down to the surface, and that's what determines the air quality. It makes it a little more difficult to forecast the air quality index. I would say probably in the moderate category is probably a good guess." 

That means the weekend will have a trifecta of risks, with high temperatures, sunshine, and smoke all affecting people.

"Be careful in the heat as well as making sure to put on sunscreen just because the UV index will be high. But with respect to the heat, seek shade, especially at the high sun times, which is around noon to 1 o'clock. Maximum temperature times are usually around 3:00 to 4:00 or 5:00 o'clock, so that's the hottest time of the day, time to maybe get inside where there's air conditioning if you can and drink plenty of water and cool off when you can. Just be careful with that smoke in the air too, a combination of both smoke and heat might be difficult for some people."