It’s only getting colder: Friday’s high will be 20 degrees below average

Temperatures (white) and windchill values (teal) at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.

Once again extreme cold warnings were issued for southeastern Alberta as windchill values hovered around -40.

A persistent weather pattern has the polar vortex parked further south than it normally sits – allowing Arctic air to funnel along the southern border of most of the Prairies.

Both temperatures and windchill values are expected to remain well below seasonal this week and, as of Wednesday morning, there were extreme cold warnings issued from southern British Columbia through to Labrador.

There will be a brief warmup in southern Alberta Wednesday with daytime highs forecast to range from -7 C to -10 C.

Light and scattered flurries are expected to move northwest to southeast across Alberta late Wednesday to early Thursday.

This should coincide with the temporary lifting of extreme cold warnings south and east of Calgary.

At the end of the week another round of extreme cold is expected across southern Alberta with daytime highs in Calgary dropping down to -20 C by Friday.