Calgary to see slightly warmer weather Monday, snow expected Tuesday

Temperatures will improve in Alberta this week, but it will take a while to achieve a full reset to normal ranges.

Calgary did not break any weather records over the weekend, but dozens of locations across Alberta did.

The more interesting detail about those records lies within the margin by which many of those records were set. Typically, daily temperature records are exceeded by one to two degrees or less.

However, many of the new records from this weekend were exceeded by three to eight degrees, with a number of those weather stations recording weather data for more than 100 years.

Some locations, including Edmonton, saw air temperatures around -46 C, with wind chill values near -60.

As of 8 a.m. Monday, the entire province was still under an extreme cold warning as Arctic air remained firmly entrenched over the prairies.

However, that warning should be lifted for portions of the province on Monday.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issues extreme cold warning in Alberta when either the air temperature or the wind chill value reach or exceed at least -40 C for at least two hours. An extreme cold warning can remain in place during a prolonged period of unusually cold temperatures if those temperatures are close to that -40 C threshold and could potentially exceed the threshold again.

Monday will bring sunshine into southern Alberta with a forecast high of -18 C for Calgary, which is the warmest temperature since last Wednesday, but still 15-degrees colder than the average of -3 C.

Northern Alberta will likely remain under that extreme cold warning Monday with wind chill values in some communities expected to hit -55.

The winter-like weather will continue across Alberta and B.C. even after the cold moves out.

Snow is expected to move in from the Yukon toward the Rockies, which has already prompted some snowfall warnings, and special weather statements in central and southern British Columbia.

If this incoming system can push out the polar air mass, as much as 10 to 15 centimetres of snow is possible in areas like Jasper and Grande Cache. Otherwise, snowfall totals will be slightly lower.

Snow is likely to begin in Calgary mid-morning Tuesday with more steady precipitation expected Wednesday.

Calgary could see as much as 10 to 20 centimetres of snow, with the bulk of that falling on Wednesday. At the low end the City of Calgary could see between 5 to 10 centimetres of snow.