AlbertaWX – Central Alberta Storm Chasers

After such a brutal winter were hoping for an early spring, we know this is not the case. cold and snowy winters tend to delay the arrival of spring weather due to the mountains of snow and ice reflecting the spring sunlight. Here is my Spring 2014 forecast.

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/Mikeman444/comment.html?entrynum=81

Also of note, After quite a bit of delay I finished Best Of Lighting 2013 early this month.

Starting the month of March usually brings more spring like weather, this year however will ring in March with the coldest temperatures in half a decade. Official forecasts for many areas expect temperatures to plunged well toward the -40C mark. Some model runs even hit at pockets of east-central Alberta dipping to an incredible -50C. There is a strong chance of at least 3 dozen stations shattering records by as much as 10 degrees and some even eclipsing all time records. There were some hints of a weak pacific push that could keep the sub -40s away form the Edmonton/Calgary corridor but the most recent model runs are pointing that being too late to prevent significant record lows.

Current all time Records that may be set Saturday morning
Legend:
Close: within 5C of record
Break: Break record
Shatter: Break record by up to 10C
Annihilate: break record by more than 10C

Coronation: May shatter it’s all time low of -44.4C. And annihilate the March of of -35.6C record by 10 degrees.
Edmonton city centre: May come close to it’s all time March record of -36.1C set in 1939
Edmonton INTL: May come close a new March record of -42.7C set in 2009
Camrose: May break its all time March record of -42.8C set in 1951
Red Deer: May come close to it’s all time March record of -42.8C set in 1951
Loydminster: May shatter it’s all time March record of -36.7C set in 2003
Vegreville: May break it’s all time record of -42C set in 2003
Fort Mcmurray: May come close to it’s all time March record of -44.4C set in 1962
Calgary: May break it’s all time March record of -37.2C set in 1951

Stay tune for official report this Sunday, records could fall that day as well.

A major blizzard, the first of the year, is already bringing heavy snow to parts of Alberta. The snow will only get heavier and by tomorrow morning the winds will be 37-52km/h gusting to 80 over a wide swath of central and southern Alberta. While the blizzard warning does not extend to the Edmonton area that does not mean Edmonton won’t get a blizzard. Winds in Edmonton could be in the 35-45km/h range and blizzard conditions WILL be present in open ares in the Edmonton area! The highest winds will be in the vast exposed grasslands of Southern Alberta. Snowfall totals in Edmonton are iffy as the areas is on the edge of the heaviest bands of snow.

East of Edmonton should expect 10-15cm with 15-25cm in the city itself. Areas south of Edmonton and down to Calgary and Medicine hat could see up to 30cm+.