Temperatures to rise more than 20 degrees in less than 2 days

A weather pattern with both persistent Arctic air and an ample supply of moisture has left Albertans with a much different weather story than they started the month with.

Daytimes highs in Calgary have been well below seasonal and also below freezing for over a week, a trend that will continue until Sunday.

Light snow fell overnight Friday and that, along with mist made for a slippery start across the city.

An incoming system prompted snowfall warnings for north and central B.C. and Alberta with another longer duration event expected there.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a number of warnings and advisories Friday, including snowfall warnings (white), rainfall warnings (green), extreme cold warnings (light blue), and fog advisories (gray).

South of Edmonton, conditions will remain mostly dry, but the temperatures are expected to sit in the mid minus-teens and low 20s for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A building ridge of high pressure will move in from the north Pacific over the weekend and introduce much-needed relief.

Strong westerly winds could start up late Sunday in southern Alberta and by Monday, the maximum temperature will be 10 degrees warmer than the high on Sunday.

It will also be more than 20 degrees warmer than the overnight temperature from Saturday to Sunday.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada data, as of Nov. 28 there was 18 centimetres of snow on the ground.

Sunshine over the weekend will help melt some of that snow, but the real melting will occur during the week with daytime highs of 2 C to 4 C and lows between -4 C and 0 C.