The western half of the country experiences the deep freeze much sooner than folks back east. The first minus double-digit of the season occurs in October for much of the Prairies. Frosty temperatures tend to hold off until December for folks across southern Ontario, southern Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces.
Snow risk with a Prairie clipper
We’ll watch a clipper move across the Prairies to end the week, followed by a harsh but brief dose of cold air filtering into parts of the region.
Widespread rain will fall across Alberta as the clipper treks over the province, with some embedded rumbles of thunder possible at times.
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Temperatures will be cold enough for snow to fall in the Rockies as the freezing level falls below 1800 m through Friday morning. It’s not going to be a blockbuster snowfall by any means, but it could be enough to whiten the ground with a few centimetres of accumulation at higher elevations.
Wind gusts could exceed 60 km/h as the cold air rushes in behind the clipper system.
Brief burst of cold before a steady warmup
Friday is going to be a raw, chilly day across much of Alberta as this Arctic air slips south.