Hot and sunny weather expected in Calgary for the rest of May

Calgary can expect hot and sunny weather for the remainder of May. Gina Martin has a look at the five-day forecast from the Sky Watch Weather Centre.

The rest of May is going to feel more like July as we kick off a stretch of sunshine and temperatures in the mid to high 20’s for the rest of the month.

In fact, by Thursday, Calgary could experience its first 30 C high of the year!

A ridge of high pressure is starting to move in and will really pump in a lot of warm air on Wednesday, with winds out of the south at 20 – 40 km/h.

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By Thursday, two significant factors could set the stage for our next possible thunderstorm event.

The first is all the sunshine that’s warmed up our ground over the last few days, causing air to rise and creating low pressure at the surface.

The second is an expected shift in our jet stream, which will cause the high-pressure ridge to move east.

These two events working in tandem have the potential to create enough instability for thunderstorms to develop in southern Alberta on Thursday evening.

Models so far suggest areas in southeast Alberta are the most likely to get storm development, but Calgary could see some action as well.

It will be short lived though, as another mini ridge of high pressure starts to move back in on Friday, which will stabilize the atmosphere once again.

When it comes to wet weather, some of the long-range models are in agreement that the start of June will be cool and rainy which will be a nice reprieve after this stretch of heat.

For those planning to be outside over the next couple of days, keep in mind the UV Index is at an eight for Tuesday, which is very high.

Sun burn can happen very quickly to unprotected skin. Make sure to have the sunscreen handy, along with a hat, sunglasses and plenty of water!