Calgary weather: Portions of southern Alberta expecting up to 30 cm of snow by Thursday night

Dry conditions and warm weather in Calgary. Jodi Hughes has a look at the five-day forecast from the Sky Watch Weather Centre.

Tuesday will be warm and windy across southern Alberta with daytime highs in the low to mid-teens, but another quick change is on the way.

There are already some early indications of this rapid deterioration if you look into central and northern Alberta or southern British Columbia—including yellow-level snowfall warnings west of Edmonton as well as along Highway 3 near Kootenay Pass and Highway 5 along the Coquihalla from Hope to Merritt.

In their Tuesday morning alert for Highway 3, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) explained, “Snow will begin as lighter flurries this morning and intensify this afternoon. Other hazards: Strong winds at times will accompany this system and give limited visibility in blowing snow. Travel will likely be challenging.”

That area is expecting between 15 and 25 centimetres of snow.

In their yellow-level snowfall warning in Alberta, ECCC noted, “Heavy snow is expected today and Wednesday, with total amounts of 20 to 35 cm. Snowfall will begin early this morning and continue through Wednesday. The heaviest snowfall is expected near Grande Cache, including parts of Highway 40.”

The two low-pressure systems that will impact the above regions will merge over central and southern Alberta later Wednesday.

Temperatures in Calgary are expected to drop to 6 C for a high Wednesday and just -1 C on Thursday—which is closer to the average low of -2 C.

This is another tricky scenario to forecast in terms of the areas in southern Alberta most likely to receive the heaviest snowfall totals. As of Tuesday morning, it seems likely that areas south of Calgary—including the southern border and possibly southeastern Alberta—could see as much as 30 centimetres of snow.

Calgary will almost certainly have rain transitioning to snow during this event, with a good chance of between five and eight centimetres of snow possible on Wednesday and another one to three centimetres likely on Thursday.

Surface temperatures will be warm, so the initial snow should melt on contact on roads and sidewalks within the city; however, with a strong north wind and the potential for heavier bands of snow to form, there is a chance that travel conditions around the Calgary area will briefly see snow accumulate and snow and ice form in some locations.

Daytime highs in Calgary will start to improve again by Friday, and starting Saturday there should be at least five days with temperatures near or above the seasonal average of 11 C.