Achi news desk-
An intense low pressure system of only 986 mb located south of Saskatchewan will be the main weather maker in central and southern Alberta on Tuesday.
Moisture is being pulled up from the US Plains and Gulf and moving into central and southern Alberta as it circles counterclockwise around this low that acts as the southwestern anchor of the Omega block.
Cold arctic air from aloft mixes with that precipitation and limits daytime highs to well below seasonal for much of southern Alberta.
Throughout the day Tuesday and into Wednesday night a cooler atmospheric profile will lead to heavy wet snow in parts of southern Alberta – especially along the southern hills. Some snow may begin to accumulate during the day along the Highway 2 corridor south of Calgary and west of Calgary along the Trans-Canada highway, however warmer conditions on Wednesday will mean that this is a short-lived concern.
Rainfall totals for this multi-day event could exceed 50 millimeters east of Highway 2 and the QEII Highway with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) warning that some areas could see more than 100 millimeter – or the equivalent of a month’s worth of rain in less than 100 millimetres. 36 hours.
Although most of this precipitation is forecast to fall in areas where moisture is desperately needed, there is potential for local accumulation and/or flooding as the ground will not be able to absorb that much moisture in such a short period of time .
There will be strong winds throughout the day – prompting ECCC to issue wind warnings that overlap with many of the rainfall warnings. In Calgary winds are expected to vary from 40 to 60 kilometers per hour earlier in the day and peak from 50 to 80 kilometers per hour after noon.
Rain will be mostly steady in Calgary Tuesday as the city borders the western edge of this massive system. Rainfall totals should be between 10 and 15 millimeters on Tuesday with Wednesday starting to bring better conditions.
Daytime highs by Thursday will be above average 15 C and likely to reach a high of 24 C on Friday.
