Calgary will be windy Monday, warmer Tuesday and Wednesday

On paper, Sunday looked like a great day in the Calgary area with sunshine and a high of 13 C.

However, strong winds of 20-30 km/h with gusts of 40-60 km/h certainly changed the way the day felt.

A similar situation will occur on Monday.

A low pressure system (with counter-clockwise circulation) sitting in southern Saskatchewan will continue to drive strong north winds into southern Alberta.

Early Monday the winds will predominantly be out of the west in the Calgary area, but this will be met with the stronger north winds related to that low and become a northwest wind.

That system east of Alberta will continue to track toward Manitoba Monday, and by Tuesday winds are expected to ease up throughout the day in Calgary.

Daytime highs on Tuesday and Wednesday will be a few degrees warmer than average, with a return to seasonal conditions forecast to start Thursday.

According to the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard, as of 8 a.m. Monday, crews were battling 66 active wildfires in the province, including two rated as 'out of control' in the Fort McMurray forest area.

Hot and dry conditions are likely to continue in that region until Thursday.

This comes after daytime highs in Fort McMurray hit 18 C, six C above average, over the weekend. Winds will not be as strong in that portion of the province, likely around 15 to 20 km/h.

However, there is also not any moisture forecast for the area for a few days.