As southern Alberta woke up to fresh snowfall Thursday morning, a federal meteorologist said a shift to milder and drier weather is expected in the days ahead.
Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the snow was brought to parts of the region by a low-pressure system that is expected to move out of the province by Thursday night.
“That system will shift east and conditions here will start to dry out,” Lang said. “By the weekend, temperatures will be on the warm side, and we’re not expecting any precipitation until perhaps midweek next week.”
Lang said any precipitation at that point would likely begin as rain.
She said the recent swings between wintry and milder conditions reflect normal seasonal patterns in southern Alberta.
“There’s still cold air to the north and warmer air trying to move in, and when those systems clash, that’s what causes the big swings in temperature and precipitation.”
“It shouldn’t be a surprise to see these kinds of changes. It’s very typical spring weather.”
Lang added that April is among the snowiest months in the region, second only to March.
She said the recent system tracked north from Montana, which is why its effects were felt more strongly in southern parts of the province.
Lang said conditions farther north, including in the Grande Prairie region, are expected to remain relatively dry in the coming days, although temperatures there are not expected to rise as much as in southern Alberta.
Residents in some northern areas could still see a risk of freezing rain overnight Thursday, but Lang said it is not expected to have the same impact as the snowfall southern Alberta experienced earlier in the day.
