Lethbridge and southern Alberta got a bit of a break from the extreme cold over the weekend, and warmer conditions are expected to stick around all week.
Stephen Berg, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada says the temperatures are “certainly a bit above normal”.
“Normal for [this] time of year is a high of plus three [degrees Celsius] and a low of about minus nine, but it looks like for much of the week, it’s going to be double digit high temperatures,” he remarks, adding lows will hover just above zero.
“For this whole week, it looks to be anywhere from about three to about 12 degrees above normal for daytime highs and [for] overnight lows, around 10 degrees above normal.”
Berg explains during the recent extreme cold snap, “There was a large-scale upper trough system, so that allows cold northerly air to come southward from the Arctic.”
“In this case, a ridge has displaced that trough and it’s allowing for warm westerly air to reach the area, bringing some quite above normal temperatures that way. It’s largely from a ridge of high pressure that came over the area.”
IS SPRING HERE?
Many southern Albertans might be wondering if the spring-like conditions will be sticking around for a while, or if the region should brace for another cold snap.
“It’s hard to say at the moment,” Berg states.
“It looks like temperatures do return to closer to normal values early next week. In terms of further cold snaps, that’s too far ahead for me to say for sure.”
He does note that it is probably a good idea to keep your winter gear out, despite this week’s warm gift from Mother Nature.
“It’s certainly possible for some more snow [to fall] occasionally toward next week and subsequent weeks,” Berg says. “It’s [winter] not over yet; it’s still February and Mother Nature can throw some tricks at you.”
He adds that with the warmer conditions comes windy days, particularly in Lethbridge.
“Toward the end of the week, there might be some windy days [like] Thursday [and] Friday, with a low-pressure system that [passes] through from northern Alberta,” Berg says.
Beyond that, he encourages everyone to enjoy the warmer weather while it is here.
