Airdrie braces for first snowfall of season this Thanksgiving weekend
Environment Canada warns of wet snow beginning Saturday, following a warm Friday high of 18 C, with travel conditions expected to deteriorate.
A special weather statement for Rocky View County near Airdrie and Crossfield warns the first snowfall of the season could disrupt holiday travel across Alberta. Environment Canada updated the statement early Friday, as Airdrie's local forecast predicts a dramatic shift from a warm Friday to a cold, snowy Saturday. The city is expected to reach a high of 18 degrees Celsius under mainly cloudy skies, with a 60 percent chance of late afternoon showers. Strong west winds could gust up to 50 kilometres per hour before temperatures plunge to 1 degree overnight.
Periods of wet snow are forecast to begin Saturday morning, with temperatures hovering near zero throughout the day. Northwest winds are expected to gust to 60 km/h, with snow continuing into Saturday night as the mercury drops to minus 3. The agency's provincial outlook states rain will change to snow Friday in west-central Alberta and across much of the province on Saturday or Saturday night. By Saturday's end, snow is expected to accumulate across central and northern regions, with the heaviest amounts in the west-central areas where snowfall warnings are in effect.
Environment Canada is advising travellers to prepare for changing and deteriorating travel conditions over the holiday weekend. The weather system is predicted to move south Saturday night, affecting areas south of Calgary on Sunday. While only light snow is currently expected for Calgary and areas to its east, heavier snowfall could develop along the southern foothills and locations south of the city. The special weather statement does not provide specific accumulation totals for Airdrie or Crossfield.
Following the snowy interlude, conditions are set to improve for the holiday itself. Sunday in Airdrie will be cloudy with a high of 3 C before a frigid overnight low of minus 10. Thanksgiving Monday is forecast to bring sunshine and a milder high of 12 C, though temperatures will dip again to minus 7 overnight. The warming trend continues into Tuesday with sunshine and a high of 15 C, followed by seasonal highs in the low teens under mixed sun and cloud for the middle of next week.
With files from DiscoverAirdrie