Central Albertans can soak up the sun for a few more days as mild and above-normal temperatures are expected to continue through until the weekend.
Environment Canada meteorologist Greg Pearce said on Tuesday that the temperature is expected to climb to 15C or 16C on Friday, following a high of 13C on Tuesday and temperatures in the low to mid teens today and Thursday in Red Deer.
He said a large pressure system is pushing up from the United States, bringing the pleasant weather.
“There’s lots of sunshine and above-normal temperatures in this system,” Pearce said.
“It’s running about 10 to 12 degrees above normal for this time of year,” Pearce added.
“It will cool down a bit on the weekend” and slide into temperatures slightly above normal next week, with highs of 0C to 4C, he said.
Southern Alberta can expect even higher conditions, with high marks of almost 20C forecast in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat.
The above-normal temperatures and dry conditions follow a mostly mild Central Alberta October, which had a high mark of 26C in Red Deer on Oct. 2 and a low of -8C on Oct. 16.
October was a dryer than normal month with just 11.8 mm of moisture recorded, compared with the long-term average of about 18 mm for October. October is typically one of the three driest months of the year.
Over the longer range, Remembrance Day is expected to be around 0C and it could stay that warm until Nov. 16.
The average daily high in November is 1.4C and the average low is -9.4C. November is also normally a dry month with average precipitation of about 18 mm.
Pearce said the three-month outlook through January calls for normal temperatures and precipitation.
The Farmer’s Almanac, however, predicts there could be periods of snow from next week through mid-November, and possibly a snowstorm the week of Nov. 16 to 23.
December, the Almanac says, could be about a degree warmer than average with possibly twice as much precipitation, which normally is about around 20 mm.
Early December could be sunny and mild but mid-December may mild weather, with some snow. Bitter cold in some Alberta areas is also a possibility before Christmas, the Almanac says.
jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com