Quick cooldown expected Friday with snow possible in the mountains

Thursday will be similar to Wednesday with mild conditions throughout southern Alberta and daytime highs above seasonal.

Winds will continue to flow from the west and southwest – but with less intensity than Wednesday.

A low pressure system in the north-central region will track east throughout the day, leaving an area of instability behind it and adding some much-needed moisture into Northern Alberta.

Unfortunately, precipitation totals are not expected to be significant – maxxing out around 5-7 millimetres in the north, and those gains could be offset due to a risk of convective activity, or thunderstorms, in those same areas.

A moisture-laden Pacific system will bring light and mixed precipitation to the southern B.C. interior and into the Rocky Mountains late Thursday and into Friday.

Daytime highs will drop on Friday but recover by Saturday. Higher elevation locations in the Rockies are likely to see 4 to 5 centimetres of snow with mixed precipitation possible in some lower elevation locations.

With surface temperatures as warm as they are, icing and snowfall accumulation on the roads is unlikely, especially later in the day with the influence of daytime heating.

Outside of the small potential for very light and scattered rain, Calgary should sit outside of the target precipitation area for both Thursday and Friday.

The incoming precipitation and a drop in temperatures likely contributed to some portions of Alberta seeing small improvements in their Fire Danger Relative Index rating, with this trend expected to continue to improve on Friday.

The Fire Danger Relative Index evaluates:

1. How easy it would be for vegetation to ignite;
2. How difficult it would be to extinguish such a fire; and
3. The amount of potential damage said fire could cause.

Because this is a relative index is can change significantly day-to-day based on weather conditions and temperature.

The Fire Danger Relative Index forecast from Natural Resources Canada for April 25, 2024.

Daytime highs will return to the mid-teens for Calgary by Saturday, with another slight cooldown expected to start on Monday.