Brrrace yourself! Parts of Alberta could see a 35°C temperature swing this week

There’s a nip in the air and snow on the ground, but soon, it might be in your best interest to appreciate the winter season from inside. The Alberta weather forecast is about to take a turn and you’ll want to be prepared as we head into this week.

Up until now, a “very cold Arctic mass” has been at bay, but it won’t be long until it makes its way into Calgary and Edmonton, according to Justin Shelley, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

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“It’s certainly colder now than it’s been in the last couple of weeks or so, but generally speaking the coldest air has remained farther north,” he explained.

“That is going to change later this week as that air mass is going to be allowed to slump further south, down across the Prairies, sort of in behind a clipper system that’s going to move across the province.”

This could happen as early as Tuesday, January 9th, 2024.

“When we look at the temperatures in contrast to what we’ve been seeing the last couple of weeks, the normal daytime high is usually about -3°C for this time of year and the overnight low is about -15°C,” continued Shelley.

“As we look back at December and the beginning of January we see that we’ve been above those thresholds, but it looks like we’re going to flip to well below those thresholds starting on Wednesday and especially as we head later into the week and over parts of the weekend.”

Want to know exactly what you’re in for? This is what to expect in Calgary and Edmonton this week.

Calgary, Alberta weather forecast

Edmonton, Alberta weather forecast

Feel a chill go down your spine? Well, unfortunately, these forecasts don’t even take the windchill into account.

“With any sort of wind that we experience with these cold temperatures, that’s going to drop those ‘feel like’ temperatures down even farther below.”

“Likely we’ll see those wind chill values by the end of the week approach -40°C and over the weekend.”

ECC’s advice? If you must leave the house, dress in layers and make sure that the top one is wind resistant. Cover as much exposed skin as possible and stay dry as frostbite can develop in minutes.

January is definitely in full swing, so toss on a pair of sweatpants, make yourself a hot cocoa and remember to stay hopeful!

It’s too soon to tell what the rest of the month will bring, but we’ll get through it.

If there’s one thing Alberta is good at, it’s facing the winter weather.