It’s shaping up to be a multi-day chinook event for Calgary and much of southern Alberta, with those strong westerly winds keeping us in the mid-teens for the rest of the winter season. On Tuesday, the winds were so strong in some areas of the province that Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a yellow-level wind warning for areas in the west/southwest along or near the foothills. The peak wind gust at the Calgary Airport was 65 km/h this morning, while in Lethbridge, that city recorded a peak gust of 98 km/h during the 1 p.m. hour. Those strong winds, though, helped get the city to a high of 16 C, which is pretty darn close to the record 17.8 C daily temperature record set back in 1885. There are a few more chances this week for record setting/breaking temperatures as a ridge of high pressure will continue to funnel in strong, warm winds over the mountains on Wednesday and Thursday. Areas closer to the foothills and in higher elevations along the Rockies will still benefit from warmer temperatures but will have to contend with some precipitation in the form of rain and/or snow. There is a broad atmospheric river moving into parts of B.C. from the Pacific, with an upper low-pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska helping steer its movement. The mountains will block much of that precipitation from making its way into much of southern Alberta for a few days, but as the low deepens, the jet stream will adjust slightly to the south, and that will allow cooler temperatures and rain/snow showers to move into Calgary by Saturday. It’s shaping up to be a short-lived event with a rebound in both temperatures and conditions by Sunday; however, temperatures will be hovering closer to seasonal for much of next week, which could be an indicator of more variable weather for the back half of March.
