Back to the teens: Major windy warmup coming to Alberta this weekend
Downsloping winds out of the Rockies will send temperatures soaring across Alberta into the weekend.
It may have felt like winter came early to Alberta over the past couple of weeks, with a shot of cold air and widespread snow impacting the province, but that's about to completely flip heading into this weekend.
A series of strong Pacific storms targeting the B.C. coast will allow for strong downslope winds east of the Rockies. As those winds flow downslope, the air carried with them will rapidly warm, bringing temperatures across Alberta 5-10 degrees above seasonal.
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The windy warm-up will also come with some risk, however, as gusts up to 90+ km/h along Highway 1/22 could result in flying debris over the road, as well as a tipping risk for semi-trailers and other high-sided vehicles.
Strong winds, temperatures build Friday
Strong wind gusts will target the foothills starting early Friday and strenghten throughout the day. Peak wind gusts are forecast around 60-80 km/h in the evening and will spread into the Calgary area and QE2 corridor through the overnight.
Forecasters are also keeping a close eye on the wind gusts in the extreme southwest, along Highway 1/22, where gusts could reach 90+ km/h. This may impact travel as light trailers could be flipped over in the wind, as well as loose debris that may obstruct the road.
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Persistent winds should pick up Friday afternoon and reach their peak by the evening before easing late Saturday morning. Another atmospheric river impacting B.C. on Sunday, however, will make the break in wind somewhat brief as the Pacific flow once again travels over the Rockies and brings back the gusty conditions to central and southern Alberta.
The silver lining with the blustery winds, though, will be a sharp temperature increase. Daily highs across the province will range from 5-10 degrees above seasonal. Parts of southern Alberta will even see temperatures reach the mid-teens on Saturday!
Temperatures will still be slightly above seasonal to the north, but a low-pressure system developing along the Northwest Territories border could bring some showers with a bit of snow mixed in through Saturday.
Stay with The Weather Network for the latest updates and information on your forecast across Alberta.