Cold, wet and windy long weekend forecast

Rainy weather in store for May long weekend Rainy weather in store for May long weekend. Jodi Hughes has a look at the five-day forecast from the Sky Watch Weather Centre.

Layers and rain cover will take a higher priority than tank tops and flip-flops this long weekend.

Daytime highs are expected to be between 10 C and 13 C in Calgary with scattered showers and strong wind from Friday until Monday.

Portions of Calgary experienced a rain/snow mix early Friday, a scenario that may repeat on Saturday morning.

Mixed precipitation is possible in higher elevations – especially overnight, and this likelihood prompted a special weather statement for highways in the B.C. Interior with Environment and Climate Change Canada explaining, “colder air along with precipitation means the mountain passes are seeing some snow now. The precipitation is going to change to rain during the day, and likely to return back to flurries tonight and into Saturday morning.”

The national weather agency notes between two to five centimetres of snow is possible in these overnight periods. With warmer surface temperatures and increased traffic there is little concern over icing, however slushy wet snow can create traction hazards and impact visibility.

Rain in northern Alberta has had a positive impact on the wildfires in terms of holding the fires and also on air quality as rain is pulling particulate to the surface. As such, as of 7:30 a.m. Friday air quality advisories have been lifted for the area.

Wind will be strong in central Alberta on Friday and also in southern Alberta. Convective activity (thunderstorms) are possible on Saturday, but if they occur in Calgary they will be isolated.

Overnight temperatures will sit closer to freezing for the city of Calgary with many communities benefitting from the urban heat island effect. Some areas could dip below 0 C, with this chance increasing outside of the city.