Calgary sets record high temperature on Thursday

Warm again in Calgary, but we're on the downside. Jodi Hughes has a look at the five-day forecast from the Sky Watch Weather Centre.

Southern Alberta will finish off this week with more unseasonably warm weather.

Daytime highs will be in the low to mid-teens once again, and some locations may see a third day of record-setting temperatures.

On Thursday, more than 25 areas set new record highs, including: Calgary (18.2 C; the old record of 17.4 C was set in 1984), Edmonton (International Airport) (8.8 C; the old record of 6.6 C was set in 1991), Banff (11.3 C; the old record of 8.9 C was set in 1992), Brooks (15.2 C; the old record of 11.0 C was set in 1984), Red Deer (9.0 C; the old record of 8.9 C was set in 1924), and Medicine Hat (15.8 C; the old record of 12.2 was set in 1991).

The ridge of high pressure that has been parked over the western portion of the continent will remain in place for the end of the week, allowing warmer air to continue to funnel in.

This pattern will slowly start to break down over the coming days as the anchoring low in Central Canada breaks off and head into the Atlantic basin.

Cooler air will start to sink south across the prairies by the end of the weekend and meet up with a moisture-laden Pacific system.

Intense rain will hammer the west coast starting Friday before tracking east through the province of British Columbia.

Rain will transition to mixed precipitation and then snow, which will be especially noticeable in the higher elevations.

Some light and mixed precipitation is possible on the Alberta side of the range and could extend into the Calgary area by Sunday night and early Monday.

Even with the introduction of some cooler air, daytime highs and overnight lows will remain elevated for southern Alberta.

On Friday, the forecast high in Calgary is 13 C, with a low of 4 C. The average range this time of year is -1 C for a high and -13 C for a low.

Stronger westerly winds are expected in the southwest corner of the province on Friday, however should remain below warning threshold levels.

In Calgary, sustained winds will peak around 15 or 20 km/h on Friday.

A yellow-level fog advisory was issued along the Trans-Canada Highway in B.C. early Friday morning as dense fog caused near-zero visibility in the area. This should improve by the early afternoon.