After a February in which temperatures were mostly above the seasonal norm, Calgary is hit with the onset of winter this week.
Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for Calgary and areas west of the city just after 3:30 p.m. Sunday. A cold front arriving in Calgary on Sunday evening will bring snowfall to the city in the coming days, with midweek highs below -20C before mercury starts to rise again ahead of the weekend.
Environment Canada forecasts that snow will be two to four inches by Sunday night, with larger accumulations likely west of Calgary in the Kananaskis and Foothills areas.
Snowfall is expected to pick up again late Monday afternoon or evening, bringing another 4 to 8 inches of the white stuff to Calgary by Tuesday night.
“Especially Monday evening, early Tuesday morning, that could be the heaviest snowfall and we could also have strong winds with it,” said Rob Griffith, Environment Canada meteorologist.
“So commuting to work on Tuesday mornings might be a bit hairy, and maybe people should give that a little more time.”
Freezing temperatures expected
This storm system is expected to be followed by a drop in temperature, with several days of freezing temperatures on maps for Calgary and southern Alberta, a sharp change from a track of above zero days in the region.
Tuesday’s forecast high drops to -16C before the temperature drops further to -21C on Wednesday and -23C on Thursday, with overnight lows of -25C forecast for each of those days.
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However, the weather is expected to recover somewhat by next weekend, with forecast highs of -10C on Friday and -1C on Saturday.
The average high for this time of year is around 0C, Griffith said. But he said winter storms were also expected alongside the more temperate days.
“This cold snap will be a return to real winter, but it’s still February and that average includes all extremes,” Griffith said.
Twitter: @jasonfherring
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