Taste of early fall weather on the Prairies, with cold air, mountain snow
Some summer snowfall will remind many of us that winter is just a mere 15 weeks away.
Labour Day Monday will be well below seasonal on the Prairies, thanks to a northerly flow, worsened by wind gusts of 40-60 km/h. The chill in the air will lead to the first frost of the year Tuesday in some areas. The cold temperatures will be accompanied by showers and more snow in the higher terrain in parts of Alberta, avoiding the major populated centres. Areas west of Calgary though may not be so lucky. However, conditions will start to look somewhat better for Tuesday. For a closer look, see below.
WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
Autumnal-like weather Monday, temperatures in the low teens
Snow expected in the mountains, high elevations Monday morning, will ease off during the day
Brief return to seasonal temperatures expected Tuesday and beyond
Keep on top of active weather ALERTS in your area
MONDAY: CHILL REMAINS, HIGH-ELEVATION SNOW EASES
The fall-like chill continues into Monday, with similar daytime highs, complicated by a cold front continuing to slide southward along the mountains in Alberta. Saskatchewan and Manitoba will remain dry.
This will set off a few showers, heaviest in northern Alberta, but what catches people's attention is the snow at the higher elevations, and even in the foothills. Good news is the heaviest snow will have fallen by Monday morning, will then ease through the day. Calgary will escape the flakes, but areas to the west might not be so lucky.
In the afternoon, the strong winds will give the chill a real bite to it, with gusts out of the north, reaching 40-60 km/h along the Alberta and Saskatchewan border. The winds will ease off Tuesday.
Daytime highs will be struggling to hit the double digits in most areas on the Prairies. Overnight lows will dip down to low single digits, even hitting below the freezing mark in parts of central Saskatchewan.
LOOK AHEAD: SEASONAL TEMPERATURES RETURN
That cold won't hurry to leave the region, but more seasonal temperatures will return this week, starting in central Alberta Tuesday. However, some places will start off with frost on Tuesday and even Wednesday. Manitoba won't begin to warm up until mid-week. By late week, parts of Alberta will even be somewhat above-seasonal, as B.C.'s heat spills over the Rockies.
However, the arrival of fall is still close at hand, and forecasters see a reinforcing shot of chilly weather for next weekend and into the following week that will bring return to below seasonal temperatures at least to the eastern Prairies.
Check back for updates as we continue to monitor the forecast
