After Calgary's heat burst, what's in store for Wednesday?
Digital Reporter
Wednesday, July 30, 2014, 12:15 PM - People in Calgary woke up to rapidly rising temperatures and strong winds late Tuesday night.
The reason? A rare "heat burst", which drove temperatures up to the high 20s in less than an hour.
The city also experienced gusts of up to 85 km/h with the phenomenon, which took place in the pre-dawn hours.
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As it happens, daytime temperatures have been running high on the Prairies this week, thanks to an omega blocking pattern that has kept hot air over the region.
Some cities have passed the 30oC mark (Edmonton did so for the first time this year on Tuesday), and the humidity has been making it feel even warmer.
Heat and humidity are, of course, key ingredients for thunderstorms, which are in the offing for parts of Saskatchewan, northern Alberta and the Alberta foothills, as well as the Calgary area.
Most of the storms are expected to be non-severe, but Weather Network meteorologist Monica Vaswani says some will be capable of producing large hail, torrential downpours and strong winds.
Some could fire up as early as noon, but the strongest are likely to roll through from 4 p.m. onward into the night.
Thursday is also looking to have some storm potential, with the worst risk along the Alberta foothills and the international border.
"The more severe storms should stay west of Calgary, but that could change, Vaswani says.
TUNE IN: Watch the Weather Network on TV for updates on today's severe weather. If it's safe to do so, upload your pictures and videos here.
