Special weather statements issued for cold, wet and windy weather

Rain coming down in Calgary Rain coming down in Calgary. Jodi Hughes has a look at the five-day forecast from the Sky Watch Weather Centre.

As expected, an intense low pressure system has significantly impacted weather conditions across southern Alberta.

Daytime highs on Wednesday will be 10 to 16 C colder than Tuesday but that is only part of the story.

Sustained winds in Calgary will be between 20 to 40 km/h with gusts of 40 to 80 km/h and rain is expected to be nearly steady for most of the day.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a special weather statement Tuesday advising of rainfall totals as high as 40 milimetres in some areas and strong winds which are expected to weaken later Wednesday as the low pressure system tracks to the east.

Mixed precipitation fell in the higher elevations west of Calgary overnight and early Wednesday due to temperatures around the freezing mark.

The recovery will be just as fast as the decline in conditions with daytime highs on Thursday in the low to mid 20s across the region.

By Sunday, the overnight low in Calgary will be as warm as Wednesday’s daytime high.