All of southern Alberta has been put under a special weather alert by Environment Canada, as a low-pressure system moves in and brings with it cold weather, showers and possibly even snow at some point Monday.
Saturday temperatures are expected to be well above normal, with highs forecast near 30 C. However, the low-pressure system will develop over southeastern Alberta and move quickly across the Prairies through Sunday.
“You’ll need your sunscreen today, and rain boots tomorrow because a pretty intense low-pressure system is moving into Calgary,” Global Calgary weather specialist Gemma Lynne Stroobant said.
By Sunday, the system will hit southern Alberta with showers, winds and cooler temperatures of around 10 C to 15 C.
“The system will see a drastic change in our daytime high temperatures for Sunday and Monday,” Stroobant said.
Monday could see overnight lows below 0 C, according to Environment Canada.
“A cold air mass will slide south in the wake of the system and entrench itself over Alberta by Monday morning,” said a special weather statement issued by the federal agency.
“Currently, snowfall is expected to remain in and near the mountain parks, however, there is a chance of seeing mixed precipitation in areas along lower elevations of the foothills, including Calgary,” the statement said.
“The rain will stick around overnight Sunday to Monday, that’s when snow is expected to start in the Rockies and northern foothills before intensifying and sloping further south,” according to Stroobant.
“There’s even a chance Calgary could see mixed precipitation Monday morning.”
All of southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba are included in the special weather statement due to the same storm system.
The cold weather won’t stick around permanently — temperatures are expected to get back above the 20s later in the week.