Storm to bring heavy snow from B.C to Saskatchewan
Sunday, December 17, 2017, 4:47 PM - After a prolonged period of above seasonal temperatures across the southwestern Prairies, a cold front will allow for the beginning of much colder air to settle in early this week.
Light snow associated with a low pressure system will spread across southern Alberta through Monday morning however, a more significant snowfall event is forecast to set up by Tuesday across the region. Snowfall accumulations with this low pressure system are also forecast to impact much of southern British Columbia, particularly across the Interior early this week.
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Continue reading for a provincial breakdown, below:
British Columbia
After an unsettled weekend over the west coast, with freshly fallen snow over higher elevations, a more organized system will bring significant snowfall as it tracks south of the province on Tuesday. This low pressure system will bring rain to coastal areas as well as snow to the higher elevations starting on Monday night into Tuesday, before tapering off by Wednesday morning.
Freezing levels will plummet from 1400 m down to 400 m by Tuesday morning, which will continue to drop throughout the day, approaching sea level.
This system will bring heavy snow through the Interior, including the Okanagan Valley and highly impact travel across the major passes.
Due to the dropping freezing levels, there is the potential to see snow over higher terrain across Vancouver Island, north of Victoria, including Nanaimo and Campbell River. Even higher elevations around the Vancouver area may see snow with this system.
Alberta
As the system progresses eastward, a swath of snow will spread across southern Alberta, beginning Tuesday morning into Wednesday morning.
As high pressure descends from the north, snowfall enhancement is possible along the foothills with upslope flow, resulting in locally higher amounts. The Red Deer area is expected to see 5-15+ cm with increasing totals as one travels south. From Canmore extending south towards Pincher Creek, there is the potential for 20-40+ cm with upslope enhancement.
Towards Calgary and along the Trans-Canada Highway, including Lethbridge, totals between 15-30+cm will highly impact travel by Tuesday evening.
Saskatchewan:
This system will also spread snow to extreme southern portions of Saskatchewan through early Wednesday morning, clearing by late evening.
While snowfall amounts are not expected to be as significant as they are across southern Alberta, regions south of Regina may see between 5-10 cm throughout the day on Wednesday.
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