Calgary weather: Strong wind to continue with heavy snow in southwestern Alberta

Snow could extend into Alberta. Jodi Hughes has a look at the five-day forecast from the Sky Watch Weather Centre.

Provinces east of Alberta have been blanketed in orange and yellow-level weather warnings as a potent spring storm continues to intensify – centred around the southern border of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

This surface low in the eastern Prairies is being flooded with cold arctic air, at the same time it is being fed with moisture from the Pacific basin and the Gulf and then anchored by high pressure systems to the east and west.

Synoptic setups like these will typically begin with rapid intensification and often lead to dangerous outcomes and widespread impacts – including hazardous ice build-up on power lines, damaging winds, accumulated moisture pooling and/or freezing on roadways.

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At the end of (and in the days after) this type of late-season storm, it is common to see an elevated risk for waterway and localized flooding because surfaces are often too frozen to absorb moisture at the rate it falls, and then melting will occur over a short period of time.

During the event, visibility will be compromised where wind combines with snow and rain, and road conditions can quickly deteriorate due to snow, slush and ice.

As of 6 a.m. Thursday, several orange-level warnings were issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), including blizzard warnings in northern Manitoba, freezing rain warnings in central Manitoba, winter storm warnings in east-central Saskatchewan and west-central Manitoba, and snowfall warnings in northern Saskatchewan.

Total snowfall accumulations in northern Saskatchewan are expected to be between 30 to 50 centimetres.

Ice accumulations in Manitoba could reach 5 to 10 mm which would cause strain to hydroelectric infrastructure.

Visibility and road conditions are expected to be substantially impacted along the northern portions of this system as intense wind and persistent snowfall combine for an extended period.

That low-pressure system will close off and spread west into Alberta over the next two-days with the outer bands of snow extending into southern Alberta.

Scattered precipitation is likely in Calgary and will include highly variable snowfall totals due to the development of both pockets, and narrow bands of intense snowfall.

Yellow-level snowfall warnings were issued for northeastern Alberta and southwestern Alberta Thursday, with ECCC noting the heaviest accumulations in southern Alberta – “near 15 centimetres” – will fall along higher terrain.

In northern Alberta, the weather agency said “a long period of snowfall continues [Thursday] and [Thursday night]. Total snowfall amounts of 15 to 30 cm are expected by Friday.”

Warm air situated over southeastern Manitoba will lead to a heightened risk of severe thunderstorms Thursday, prior to the transition into winter weather conditions. Heavy rain, hail, and strong winds are all expected with a slight chance of tornadic development.

Temperatures will remain suppressed across Alberta – sitting 12 to 14-degrees below seasonal in Calgary from Friday until Sunday.

Strong north and northwest wind is expected across the region for the next few days – with sustained speeds of 40 to 50 km/h forecast for Thursday in Calgary, and gusts between 60 to 70 km/h.