Harsh start to Friday with fog, snow, and freezing rain in southern Alberta

Fog, snow, rain in many regions on Friday. Jodi Hughes has a look at the five-day forecast from the Sky Watch Weather Centre.

As expected, cooler air moved into central and southern Alberta late Thursday and early Friday.

Dense fog formed around the Calgary area, with snow along the QEII and freezing rain in east-central Alberta around the Trans-Canada Highway.

Before the morning commute, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a fog advisory around Calgary and a freezing rain warning east of Airdrie along the Saskatchewan border.

The ECCC explained, “A few hours of freezing rain is expected in this region this morning. Ice accumulations of two millimetres are possible.”

As of 9 a.m. Friday, both the advisory and the warning were still in place.

Snow is expected to continue for central and southern Alberta for most of Friday – with the bulk of that precipitation forecast for areas east of the QEII and Highway 2 corridors.

A dominant ridge of high pressure will become the main weather-maker for Alberta and B.C. by Saturday, allowing warmer air to push daytime highs back into the double-digits across southern Alberta for at least a few days.

Overnight lows will sit above freezing for Sunday and Monday, which will enhance the effect of that warming pattern.

The Remembrance Day forecast in Calgary will include sunshine and an above seasonal daytime high, however it might be windy in the late morning as an incoming system injects some mild instability for the region.