Calgary weather: Temperatures to hit the mid-20s by the weekend

Temperatures should climb throughout the week, leading to a hot Friday and Saturday before things start to get a little bit cooler again.

As expected, Tuesday afternoon brought a rapid change in weather conditions across central and southern Alberta as a cold front moved over the area.

In less than an hour, winds in Calgary increased from nine km/h to over 40 km/h with gusts close to 60 km/h.

At the same time, just after 5 p.m., the temperature dropped more than five degrees, and scattered thunderstorms moved across the region.

Tuesday night will be less exciting as that system tracks south and east, and by Wednesday morning a much more stable pattern will emerge.

The daytime high on Wednesday will sit just above the seasonal average of 14 C, while also being the coldest day of the next four.

The main weather-maker for the west will be a dominant and anchored ridge of high pressure that will push temperatures into the mid-20s for Calgary and closer to 30 C in the southeast portion of the province.

The low-pressure system in the Pacific will eventually start to move inland, and if it breaks off and tracks south, another period of instability is likely, including a sharp drop in temperatures again and more scattered precipitation.