The tug o’ war between cold and warm air currents over central Alberta are about to be won by Old Man Winter.
While Friday’s temperatures are predicted to hit 20 C — a good 10 degrees above average for this time of year — Red Deer-area residents will then be hauled back into the cold.
Prairie-region meteorologist Sara Hoffman of Environment and Climate Change Canada, confirmed April is the cruelest month since next week will hardly be spring-like.
Thermometers are expected to start plunging on Saturday. By Sunday, this region will be about 10 degrees colder than average, with daytime highs of only around zero and overnight lows dropping into the -12 C range.
“It’s going to be quite a shift,” said Hoffman. A gusting system of Arctic air will temporarily defeat the warmer air being brought up from the south in a struggle for seasonal supremacy.
‘The whole province and most of Western Canada, including B.C., the Yukon… will be well below normal for this time of year,” added Hoffman. But she stressed there really is no ‘normal’ when it comes to springtime in Alberta.
Shoulder seasons in this province tends to be full of extreme weather: Record highs for this time of year are in the range of 25 C while record lows have dropped to -25 C. “The normal is not normal,” said Hoffman. “It’s a very hard time to make predictions…”
According to Environment Canada, the next seven days (after Friday) do not look promising with scattered snowfalls possible throughout the weekend and early next week.
Hoffman said she always advises Alberta motorists not to remove their snow tires until after Easter because “you never know what you’re going to get” — including more sleet and snow.
The longer-term regional forecast, which is not as accurate, does show some warming. Hoffman said central Alberta should get back to more seasonal temperatures for the week of April 18-24.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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