A "massive" weather pattern change is hurling towards Alberta with snow

Alberta is forecast to see some gorgeous highs this weekend, and experts say get out and enjoy that warmth because a big weather pattern change is on the way soon.

Daily Hive spoke with Alysa Pederson, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), who said the big change is expected to slide into Alberta at the start of next week.

Pederson says snow, potentially lots of it, is in the cards for Alberta but as of right now, the exact amounts and locations that will be impacted are still up in the air.

“This is a hard system. Computer models yesterday hinted at a big band of snow from Slave Lake right on down through Calgary, then Canadian guidance was saying no, just the Foothills. Now this morning, it shows snow up through High Level and Fort McMurray, and not much in central Alberta, and then snow along the Foothills,” Pederson said.

“Any confidence on snowfall amounts is not high. Yesterday it was five to 40 centimetres for Calgary, but now it’s hinting at five centimetres. It will depend on how the system evolves, it’ll bring big change for western North America.”

As of Friday morning, the best bet of snow, according to Pederson, is Alberta’s Foothills and Rockies, including Rocky Mountain House and potentially further south into Sundre, Calgary, and Cochrane.

The setup for the upcoming change in weather is thanks to the breakdown of what Alberta and much of western Canada will experience this weekend, with a jetstream “ridging,” allowing for the strongest winds to go up and above Alberta and BC, bringing with it clear skies and warm air.

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“We are looking at a really, really warm weekend and above-normal highs. When we have that happen, the jet stream will then flip south and become an upper trough, it’s a massive pattern change that brings in colder air and more active weather, snow, and that sort of thing. It’s impacting a lot of western North America,” Pederson said.

“The pattern change happens through central and northern Alberta by Monday night into Tuesday and snow will start then, wherever that snow may be. Keep an eye on the forecast, but anticipate snow.”

With daytime highs in the high teens in both Edmonton and Calgary this weekend, Pederson added it’s best you get out and enjoy your weekend and the warmth before the pattern flips next week.

Whatever the system hits Alberta with, Pederson added that there is a little more confidence that our friends in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are set to get massive heavy snowfall in southern portions of those provinces, with “blizzard-like conditions” on Tuesday and Wednesday.