After getting dumped with snow over the weekend, southwest Saskatchewan will continue to experience winter-like weather for the next couple days before warming this weekend.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Mike McDonald said a pattern change, where an arctic air mass will be replaced by a warmer pacific air mass, will bring about above-average temperatures.

"The arctic air mass that's sort of covering the eastern half of the prairies is going to be sliding eastward and we're going to get more into a westerly flow in the upper areas of the atmosphere, which will usher in more of a pacific air mass, which will give temperatures above the normal temperatures. Right now the normal high is minus five, and we're looking for daytime highs anywhere from zero to plus 4 starting from Saturday and lasting right on through to next Tuesday."

You know when people are asked whether they want to hear the good news or the bad news first? Well you might not have been asked, but you just got the better side of things.

Short term - things are still looking pretty brisk.

Today there's a little bit of light snow expected, with wind blowing it around, and cold temperatures.

McDonald said about a centimetre of snow is expected for the Swift Current area, with wind gusts up to 50 kilometres per hour this afternoon.

The sky is supposed to clear up this afternoon, but with that come colder temperatures.

"Temperatures dropping tonight down to around the minus 18 to minus 20 range, and windchill values getting up into about the minus 27 area by tomorrow morning," McDonald said. "Certainly a shot of cold air coming in behind this front, and that'll last throughout the day tomorrow, but fortunately we'll see lots of sun tomorrow with the cold air."

This morning's mix of icy roads with blowing snow led to the Highway Hotline not recommending travel around Swift Current.