Sunny and seasonal final weekend of Stampede

Sunny and warm to finish off Stampede. Gina Martin has a look at the five-day forecast from the Sky Watch Weather Centre.

We are in the homestretch of the Calgary Stampede and Mother Nature is making sure the weather cooperates for the last few days of festivities.

However, it wouldn’t be the Stampede without a little rain and that’s what we saw yesterday with on and off showers throughout the day that moved in from the northwest.

In fact, the system brought snow to the higher elevations including at the Sunshine Village ski hill.

The rain cooled things off overnight, resulting in single-digit temperatures for Calgary and the surrounding area Friday morning, but high pressure at the surface and aloft will get us back into the high end of the seasonal temperature range by this afternoon with a high of 26C and lots of sun!

With so much going on in and around the city, it’s important to remember that lots of sun in the summer means an increase in the UV index and today it will get up to 8 which is in the “very high” range.

Sunscreen, hydration and reducing prolonged exposure outside will be a must throughout the weekend.

The ridge of high pressure will hold steady over the southern half of the province on Saturday and through much of Sunday, though it will start to deteriorate near the end of the weekend which could produce some strong thunderstorm cells around Calgary and in the southeast.

Our next weathermaker moves in on Monday where a steep slope in the Jetstream will bring clouds, rain and cooler temperatures to Calgary on Monday and Tuesday.

Expect highs at the beginning of next week to be in the teens.

Have a fun and safe Stampede weekend! Yahoo!