Communities across Alberta are feeling the impact of recent chinook winds, but an Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist said the warmer temperatures will not last in all areas.
Meteorologist Terri Lang said the Grande Prairie region remains in the path of several weather systems heading into the new year, bringing changing conditions as those systems move through.
“It looks like they’re still going to come in with some snow and even a chance of freezing rain here and there over the next several days, just because they’re kind of right along that path of all those low-pressure systems,” Lang said. “The temperatures start to fall and by the end of the week they’ll be probably be below average for this time of year. So enjoy the nice weather while it’s out there.”
Lang said central Alberta will see a couple of days of warmer temperatures thanks to the chinook, but the same weather systems affecting Grande Prairie are also expected to move through the region, including the Edmonton area.
“Probably not expecting any precipitation to come along as that jet stream starts to sink a little further south, but we’ll start to see that colder air creeping in more towards the latter part of the week and then into the weekend it is starting to look cold.
“The further south you get, the more days you’ll have with that warmer air.”
In the Lethbridge region, Lang said several days of chinook temperatures will melt snow, but windy conditions will persist.
“The colder air will start to sneak in, looks like late in the week, Friday into the weekend, and then you’ll be, you know, back into that colder air, but that’s all relative.”
Lang said temperatures in the Lethbridge region are expected to drop closer to seasonal averages, with daytime highs around minus two degrees and overnight lows near minus 14.
Lang said forecasts can be shared with reasonable confidence up to about 10 days out, and current outlooks do not show any major deep freezes.
“I looked at the monthly forecast for January, and for much of southern Alberta, it’s actually showing above average temperatures for the month of January,” Lang said. “That doesn’t mean it’s going to be warm every day. It doesn’t mean that it won’t get cold. It just means, you know, by the time you add everything up, average everything up at the month, it’s forecast to be warmer than average.”
As holiday travel continues, Lang advised drivers to be cautious as temperatures rise above freezing and then drop again, increasing the risk of icy roads.
“We’re asking people to check the highways before heading out and check the weather forecast and just be prepared for winter driving conditions.”
Lang added that strong winds can also create hazardous driving conditions and urged drivers to keep safety in mind.
