Edmonton weather: Big temperature flip this weekend

Warm and windy today, then warm again Saturday before a cool Sunday.

Today and Saturday should have the warmest temperatures so far this year for Edmonton and most of central and north-central Alberta.

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Daytime highs are expected to crack 20 C both days, but we’ll see a big swing for the cooler on Sunday.

We’ll get to that in a moment – first let’s deal with the short-term outlook.

Sunny skies this morning and the wind has increased to 20 km/h gusting to 30 km/h.

Gusts will be up around 40 km/h midday and early this afternoon.

So, it’ll be warm, but gusty throughout the day. Gusts should back off to 20-30 km/h through the evening and then it’ll calm overnight.

Saturday will probably FEEL a bit warmer. Temperatures will be similar, but we won’t have the gusty wind to contend with.

At least … not until Saturday night as the cold front drops in.

Along that front – gusts pick up again and we get some showers or periods of steadier rain Saturday night into early Sunday morning.

That rain should move south of the Edmonton area by mid-to-late Sunday morning … but we’ll stay cloudy and breezy through the day.

There’s still some uncertainty with just HOW MUCH cooler the temperatures will be. But, I’ve dropped back to a high near 10 C for Sunday.

Realistically, we’re looking at afternoon temperatures anywhere between 8 and 13 C.

This won’t be a long-lasting cooldown, though. Milder air should slide back in by Tuesday/Wednesday as daytime highs climb back to the mid-teens.

Elsewhere – watch for some snow in western Alberta Saturday night/Sunday morning.

1 to 5 cm of snow is possible in areas from Grande Cache through Edson/Hinton and Nordegg regions, as well as back into the mountain parks.

Here’s the forecast for Edmonton and area:

Today - Sunny morning. Partly cloudy this afternoon.

Wind: S 20 gusting to 40 km/h.

High: 22

Tonight - A few clouds. Wind easing.

9pm: 16

Saturday - Mainly sunny. Increasing late-day cloud with a 60 per cent chance of evening showers.

Morning Low: 7

Afternoon High: 21

Sixty per cent chance of rain overnight.

Sunday - 60 per cent chance of rain early in the morning. Then, Mostly cloudy.

Morning Low: 6

Afternoon High: 10

Monday - Partly cloudy.

Morning Low: -1

Afternoon High: 15

Tuesday - Partly cloudy.

Morning Low: 4

Afternoon High: 16

Wednesday - Partly cloudy.

Morning Low: 5

Afternoon High: 17