While the temperatures in southwestern Saskatchewan haven't been blistering this week, the humidity has stolen some attention.

Since Sunday, daytime highs in Swift Current have ranged from 20 C to 29 C and yet it's felt more like 30 C to 36 C.

Normally Saskatchewan is hit with the westerly flow off the Rocky Mountains but over the weekend that changed to an easterly flow according to Janelle Gergely, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

"A westerly flow is a dry flow," she said. "Right now at the surface we have a generally easterly flow over southern Saskatchewan and because the terrain increases as you go west, it's allowed for moisture to push up against the higher terrain and pool."

An average dew point in Swift Current would be around 10.0 C or under and yet yesterday afternoon, it reached as high as 18.3 C.

"The higher that dew point number is, the more uncomfortable and sticky it's going to feel," she said.

It could feel even more unpleasant if the wildfire smoke from northern Saskatchewan wasn't obstructing the sunlight.

"Our temperatures haven't been able to get quite as high as the forecasted temperature due to the smoke in the atmosphere," she said. "It's been impeding the sun's ray from actually getting to the surface."

The humid weather isn't expected to last much longer in the southwest, as of Friday the flow in the upper atmosphere is expected to return to a westerly flow.