CALGARY -- Let's begin with a preface: our seasonal normal temperatures through winter are covered, along with stats on our winter days above 0 C in this article here. What you'll learn from that: we've been pretty lucky so far. I try to inject a micro-dose of personality to these, but nothing I'm reporting here comes with even a hint of doom and gloom. Nature's going to stay natural, and it's my job to report on that. So, here goes.

It's about to get cold.

There! We did it! After a largely sunny, windy, and warm day today, we'll maintain the first two conditions tomorrow and drop away from warmth. That trend down will continue.

A large, cold-core low (cold-core is exactly what it sounds like – the entire structure of the low is from the north, and quite a bit cooler than the surrounding air) will sweep across the Yukon and Northwest Territories, tracking from northern Alberta straight toward Lake Superior. That pathing has added wind warnings across Slave Lake and Cold Lake, in addition to the usual suspects along our west boundary with British Columbia. The northern face of the low has triggered snowfall warnings in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

As it passes, our wind will transition to the northwest, and once that low pushes far enough east, it opens the door for the Hudson Bay Arctic airmass to sidle on in and take up residence. Scattered flurries will run in on both Friday and Saturday with light accumulation, as well.

Here's the five-day forecast:

Today:

  • Mainly sunny, west wind gusts 50 km/h
  • Daytime high: 6 C
  • Evening: mainly clear, low -5 C

Tomorrow:

  • Mainly sunny
  • Daytime high: 0 C
  • Evening: some cloud, low -9 C

Thursday:

  • Mainly sunny
  • Daytime high: -3 C
  • Evening: a wee spot of cloud, low -10 C

Friday:

  • Scattered flurries
  • Daytime high: -5 C
  • Evening: some cloud, low -12 C

Saturday:

  • Scattered flurries
  • Daytime high: -6 C
  • Evening: some cloud, low -14 C

On we go to photos… Paul got a cool one!

Paul, southern Alberta, sunrise

Also, this one from Friedrich… which is a little suspect and begs the warning to not go too close to the water’s edge, for so many reasons.

Friedrich, Bow River, people, ice

As always, thank you for sending photographs! You can submit your weather photos here, or email me here! Kevin Stanfield