Calgary poised for first 20-degree high of the year on Thursday

We are ending April on a seasonal note, but a preview of the summer is in store for the first weekend of May!

Today Calgary reached a high of 14 C, which is perfectly average for the city at this time of year with a mix of sun and cloud throughout the day and calm winds.

As we head into the first day of May, Alberta welcomes a nice ridge of high pressure that will bring lots of sunshine for a three-day stretch and warm temperatures to go along with it.

And when I say warm, I mean WARM!

Thursday, expect a clear start to the morning with temperatures around 5 C and then by the afternoon, thanks to the sunshine, we will get up to 19 C, surpassing the 14 C average high.

And we are only going up from there!

The aforementioned ridge will really settle over Alberta on Friday, holding onto that sunshine, calm winds and a high of 26 C!

Saturday will be a very similar setup with more sun and a repeat high of 26 C.

This ridge starts to break down late Saturday, so some clouds could start to work their way over the Calgary sky in the evening and an airmass from the north will move in overnight, resulting in a cloudy and cooler Sunday with a chance of showers and a high of 11.

Long-range models are showing though that another ridge is poised to move in and get us back into the 20-degree temperatures next week.

Keep in mind, with this upcoming stretch of sunshine comes the return of sunburn risk.

The UV Index for Thursday is slated at a 6 which is high and means sunburn could happen within 30 minutes of exposure.

Make sure to enjoy this lovely weekend safely with proper sun protection and plenty of water!