A stable weather pattern that will bring hot and dry conditions is setting up over Alberta. Monday’s daytime high in Calgary will reach 24 C, and that will be the coolest daytime high until next week. An anchored ridge of high pressure will allow warm air to funnel into the southern portion of the province, with very little threat of any active weather. In Calgary, the daytime highs are expected to peak at 31 C on Thursday, with overnight lows between 10 C and 14 C until the middle of next week. There will be a light north/northwest wind Monday – between 15 km/h to 25 km/h and some cloud cover. Wildfire smoke is expected to remain minimal for the Calgary area on Monday, with the air quality health index sitting at a three (low risk) later in the day. Convective activity in British Columbia over the weekend – including more than 7,000 lightning strikes - led to dozens of new wildfires across the province. As of 10 a.m. Monday, there was still a yellow-level air quality warning in the southern portion of the province. Hot, dry and windy weather is expected across southern B.C. for the next couple of days, which officials anticipate will increase the potential for fire activity. According to a Aug. 23 report from B.C. Wildfires, the hot, dry and windy conditions could lead to “holdover fires,” – lightning-caused fires where heat smolders undetected until hotter, drier and windier conditions lead to more visible smoke. As on Monday morning, much of southern Alberta was considered to be between a moderate to and extreme fire danger risk, with this week’s hot and dry conditions likely to amplify concerns.
