Josh Classen: Nice weather today, freezing rain risk Wednesday
Another round of freezing rain will likely hit Edmonton and surrounding areas early Wednesday morning.
We're also looking at freezing rain potential for areas south to Calgary and southwest toward Rocky Mountain House.
There's less of a risk (but still a possibility) for areas between Whitecourt and Grande Prairie.
On top of that, we'll also see some snow and/or some "rain/snow mix."
It's tough to get a good handle on potential accumulation. But, I think it's reasonable to expect 1 to 4 cm of snow in central and north-central Alberta.
Driving conditions will be significantly impacted through the morning hours. If you can delay or cancel travel plans (especially on the QEII) for Wednesday morning, that's probably your safest bet.
At the very least: Check road and weather conditions before leaving tomorrow.
What's causing this?
We have an upper ridge to the west today (a bubble of warm air aloft).
That'll eventually move in and we'll warm up to about 1 or 2 C at the surface Wednesday.
But, before the warm air arrives at ground level...it'll nose in aloft.
That warmer mid-level air turns the precip to rain. THEN...it hits the ground while the surface is still below 0 C and PRESTO...it freezes on contact.
So...it'll be a fairly quiet day of weather today. Cloudy with a few sunny breaks, light wind and temperatures rising to around -5 C by late this afternoon.
We'll continue to slowly warm overnight.
The freezing rain and snow moves through the Edmonton region and is gone by mid-morning Wednesday.
THEN...it turns gusty for the afternoon.
The warmest temperatures look like they'll be right around noon and then a bit cooler through the afternoon.
Daytime highs Thursday and Friday should be right around average (in the -4 C range).
Here's the forecast for Edmonton:
Today - Mostly cloudy. Light wind.
High: -5
Tonight - Cloudy. 60% chance of flurries and/or freezing rain overnight.
9pm: -4
Wednesday - 70% chance of wet snow and/or freezing rain in the morning.
Mix of sun & cloud with a 30% chance of a few scattered flurries in the afternoon.
Windy midday and in the afternoon with gusts to 40 km/h.
8am: -2
Midday: 1
5pm: -3
Thursday - Partly cloudy.
Morning Low: -9
Afternoon High: -4
Friday - Mix of sun & cloud.
Morning Low: -11
Afternoon High: -3
Saturday - Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of flurries.
Morning Low: -8
Afternoon High: 3
Sunday - Partly cloudy.
Morning Low: -11
Afternoon High: -4
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Canada's favourite sport to watch is hockey, survey shows
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs have already delivered a fever level of fan excitement in Canada.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.