Josh Classen's forecast: Cold air returns and stays for the weekend
The January warm stretch is over and a new cold spell starts today.
Temperatures will be tumbling through the day across the province. So, it'll be colder this afternoon than it is this morning.
In Edmonton, we'll drop to the -10 C range by this afternoon. But, we'll drop even further and end up in the -20 C range by Saturday morning.
Daytime highs both Saturday and Sunday are expected to be in the minus teens.
Wind chill becomes a factor again today. It won't be as gusty as Thursday, but we'll have 10-20 km/h wind through much of the day in Edmonton.
That means wind chills near -10 C this morning and wind chills in the minus teens this afternoon.
The wind gets stronger again Saturday (gusty midday and in the afternoon). Wind chills will likely be in the -30 C range Saturday morning and around -25 C in the afternoon.
Sunday's shaping up to be less windy, but still cold.
No significant snowfall expected in the Edmonton region. We'll see some occasional flurries or pockets of light snow in the area today and early this evening.
The city and most surrounding areas probably end up with 1 to 3 cm by late tonight.
There's some uncertainty with the longer-range temperature outlook.
I think we're probably out of the coldest air by Monday as some milder air presses in from the west and shoves the arctic air eastwards.
But, that battle between the warmer and colder airmasses could honestly go either way.
The latest runs of the Canadian models are running cooler than yesterday for Monday/Tuesday, but showing a big warm-up Wednesday followed by a return to colder temperatures Thursday/Friday.
The GFS is much warmer for Monday/Tuesday...but doesn't indicate a big Wednesday warm-up OR a Thursday/Friday cooldown.
In fact...there's about 15 degrees difference in the daytime high output between the GDPS and the GFS for next Friday.
Bottom line: Don't take next week's forecast to the bank just yet. We'll see some cold conditions this weekend and then some moderation to temperatures next week.
Whether that means a couple days near 0 C, -5 C, or -10 C (and exactly which days are the mildest) remains to be seen.
Here's the forecast for Edmonton and area:
Today - Cloudy with some occasional flurries or pockets of light snow.
Wind: NE 20 this morning and N 10-15 km/h this afternoon.
Wind chill near -10 this morning and in the minus teens this afternoon.
Temperature falling through the day.
Noon: -6 (wind chill near -13)
5pm: -10 (wind chill near -17)
Tonight - Cloudy with a 40% chance of flurries early in the evening. Some clearing overnight.
9pm: -13 (wind chill near -20)
Saturday - Mix of sun & cloud. Breezy.
Wind: 10-20 km/h in the morning and then 20 gusting to 40 km/h midday & through the afternoon.
Morning Low: -20 (wind chill near -30)
Afternoon High: -15 (wind chill near -24)
Sunday - Partly cloudy.
Morning Low: -20
Afternoon High: -14
Monday - Mostly cloudy.
Morning Low: -19
Afternoon High: -8
Tuesday - Cloudy. 30% chance of flurries.
Morning Low: -15
Afternoon High: -10
Wednesday - Cloudy with a 30% chance of flurries.
Morning Low: -14
Afternoon High: -7
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge has ordered a Quebec man to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.
Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
BREAKING Calgary officer charged after allegedly assaulting handcuffed man
A Calgary police officer has been charged after allegedly assaulting a handcuffed man two years ago.