The beginning of this week will be completely different than the start of next week.
Southern Alberta has been enjoying the benefits of a strong ridge of high pressure that has been parked along the West Coast.
A blocking pattern is drawing colder air through the Hudson Bay toward the southeastern United States while supporting warmer air to funnel into Alberta and B.C.
Daytime highs in Calgary will sit around 8 C for Monday and Tuesday and get as warm as 10 C by Wednesday, which is 12 degrees warmer than the average daytime high of -2 C.
Overnight lows are also going to be far above the seasonal norm of -15 C, reaching values that exceed that average high threshold.
Under that high in southern Alberta conditions will stay mostly clear and with a light west wind, melting will be enhanced.
Due to the limited hours of sunshine (typical of January) some of that melted snow will freeze, creating icy surfaces on sidewalks, pathways and in parking lots.
This blocking pattern is expected to start to break down though throughout the week with temperatures starting to drop as of Friday.
Zonal flow will set up from one end of the country to the other and a significant cooldown is expected.
Daytime highs in Calgary will peak at -19 C by Sunday, or 17 degrees below seasonal.
