Snow continues Wednesday ahead of cooldown on the Prairies
Snowfall through Wednesday may impact travel along some highways in Alberta and Saskastchewan
After a round of widespread snow across Alberta and the first major snowfall event of the season for the northern Prairies, more flakes are flying this week.
Since it's only the end of October, many folks don't have their winter tires on, yet, which means any snowfall will reduce traction on the roads. Use extreme caution while driving during these bursts of fall snow, even if you do have winter tires on.
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The snow will stay mainly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, but parts of northern and western Manitoba could also see some accumulation. Meanwhile, Alberta will see a chilly blast of air through midweek.
Snow continues Wednesday
Flurries are expected to continue through Wednesday across the provinces as cold air and instability hangs on. Calgary recorded 2 cm of snowfall accumulation as of early Wednesday morning, and has another few centimetres left to go off-and-on throughout the day.
The snow will be more persitent for Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Saskatoon, and along the Yellowhead Highway through Wednesday before slowly improving Thursday morning. Expect some slowdowns along the highway, as heavier snow may reduce visibility.
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Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a special weather statement for the Edmonton area, as this is the first significant snowfall of the season. Totals could reach up to 10 cm by Thursday morning. ECCC also issued a snowfall warning for the Fort McMurray area.
Cold hits Alberta
A robust upper-level trough will dip across Western Canada on the back end of the snowy system on Thursday. This pattern will help to funnel cold air south across Alberta.
How cold are we talking?
Daytime high temperatures will remain below the freezing mark for most of the province by Wednesday, with a forecast high of -1°C for Calgary, -2°C for Red Deer, and -1°C for Edmonton. These communities haven’t seen a subfreezing high temperature since the end of April.
Stay with The Weather Network for more information and updates on your weather across the Prairies.