We've definitely been spoiled when it comes to recent weather trends in the Foothills.

Higher-than-average temperatures in September that then carried into October made the snowfall we woke up to Wednesday, October 14, all the more shocking.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Blaine Lowry says this sort of thing certainly isn't unreasonable.

"I think an interesting stat that maybe not a lot of people are aware of is that October is one of the snowiest months in the Calgary area. We typically have Pacific systems coming in with higher moisture content in the shoulder seasons as opposed to the dead of winter... it's not abnormal in that sense, I think it's just a bit of a shock to the system for everyone with the nice weather we have been having to this point."

Unfortunately, it looks like we haven't seen the last of October snow.

Lowry says two low-pressure systems are likely to bring more snowfall to the Foothills later this week.

"So Friday, we could possibly see five to possibly ten centimetres, then quite a bit of colder air actually moves in behind that first system, dropping daytime highs below zero. Then with that colder air in place, we get another shot of snow on Sunday, it's looking like at this point in time. That stuff may accumulate a bit more, and our temperatures are gonna be colder by that time, so it may stick around a bit longer."

Environment Canada has since issued a Special Weather Statement for the Foothills:

A Pacific low is forecast to move through central BC tonight and track across south-central Alberta Friday.In south-central Alberta, a band of snow associated with this weather system will likely produce accumulations up to 10 cm by Friday afternoon, with higher amounts along the foothills and in the mountain parks.

There remains considerable uncertainty as to where the majority of the snow will fall as this low is still off the BC Pacific coast.

In southern Alberta, temperatures across the region are expected to initially be well above zero on Friday allowing for possible showers to occur ahead of the snow.

As the cold front passes through the region Friday afternoon, temperatures are expected to rapidly fall below zero with snow and strong northerly winds with gusts of 60 to 80 km/h.

This abrupt change in weather may lead to hazardous travel conditions, and may occur during the Friday afternoon commute for some southern Alberta communities.

A big question for parents at this time of year is whether or not there will be snow on the ground on Halloween night.

Lowry says it's a little too soon to make that call, but it is likely temperatures will rise back up after the chilly weekend ahead of us.

"We might see temperatures return to slightly above normal. Of course, normal by the end of October is daytime highs in the single digits and overnight lows below zero. I mean, will we see 20 degrees again? Not out of the question in chinook country but it's unlikely at this point."

To keep abreast of weather alerts, click here to view Environment Canada's weather information page.

For your up-to-date local forecast, click here to view our weather page.

 

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