'Waves' of snow are on the way for Alberta, and up to 20 cm is forecast
If you enjoy snow, there is plenty on the way for most of Alberta, with some areas forecast to see up to 20 centimetres over the coming days.
It’s been a busy week for wintry weather already for portions of the province, and it’s shaping up to remain that way as we roll towards the weekend.
In addition to the snow, Daily Hive chatted with James Colangelo, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), about how temperatures are expected to see quite the dip in some areas of Alberta.
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Colangelo says ECCC is currently looking at a wave of snow moving through northern Alberta right now, with Edmonton just on the southern extent of that system.
Things are looking messy as we reach early tomorrow morning, with another wave of snow moving through the province with a cold front as well. Edmonton and the surrounding regions could receive five to 10 centimetres of snow just in time for morning rush hour traffic.
“There could be an intense, quite an intense band of snow moving through Edmonton, so on your morning commute tomorrow, be very careful driving around, because there may be quite a bit of snow that’s moving through,” Colangelo stressed.
Things will quiet down a bit for the Edmonton region; however, temperatures will drop into the low minus 20s as we head into Friday morning, and then another wave of light snow will arrive, too.
It’s an even bumpier next few days for parts of southern Alberta, with some areas in the southeast set to see temperatures plummet tomorrow as the cold front moves through, going from zero to -10°C in just a few hours in some places.
Snow will also move into southern Alberta tomorrow, with the Medicine Hat area eyeing the potential of 15 to 20 centimetres of snow by Friday.
Calgary will likely get away with much less, with Colangelo estimating YYC could see snow in the two to 5 centimetre range.
“It’s kind of these waves of snow that move through and in slightly different areas of the province, so it’s hard to track it as a whole. Your location does matter quite a bit here for snow.”
What’s helping bring all this snow and cold weather to Alberta?
Colangelo says an atmospheric river event is bringing moisture onto the West Coast, and that’s what’s fuelling these systems here in Alberta.
When the cold air funnelling down from the Arctic clashes with these atmospheric river events as they pass over the Alberta Rockies, and when you get warming from the west/southwest, that’s when you can get some of the heavier snowfall totals to develop.
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The dip in temperatures and cold set to hug most of the province later this week is also a tad outside of the normal you would expect for Alberta this early into the season, especially with the -25°C and below marker being hit.
Folks in southern Alberta, including Calgary, will have it better than residents of Edmonton and northern Alberta, thanks to the placement of where the low tracks move.
A low track that’s currently making its way onshore across the southern part of Vancouver Island is pushing warm air into the southern portions of Alberta, as opposed to a more northernly tracked low that may pull that warm air a little further north.
“It’s the clash between that really strong Arctic air that’s moving southward from the north, and these low-pressure systems that make their way onto the shore, bringing lots of that moisture in that warm air, and that can push up, poke up into the southern portion of Alberta.”
That helps create a drastic warming situation where the lows are pushing warm air in, and as soon as those lows kind of track off and there’s a lull, the Arctic air pushes in right behind the cold front as it moves through. That’s why some areas, like Calgary, are seeing wild swings in temperatures.
Looking at the forecast for Edmonton and Calgary, it’s apparent Calgary will be treated to the warmer air, while Edmonton is wrapped up by brisk Arctic air.
Edmonton forecast
Environment and Climate Change Canada
According to ECCC, the average high for Edmonton around this time of year is -5°C, while the average low is -14°C.
Calgary forecast
Environment and Climate Change Canada
According to ECCC, the average high for Calgary around this time of year is -1°C, while the average low is -13°C.
Looking to next week, more waves of snow are being hinted at by some models; however, Colangelo says it’s too far out at this point in time to try to estimate the exact snowfall amounts expected.
“It’s a similar pattern to what we’ve been seeing, where these kinds of waves of snow kind of move through rather quickly and drop some snow. It looks like there could be a little bit more moving through on Tuesday, more of a widespread, kind of light snow. But yeah, that’s kind of what we’re seeing right now.”