More than half of Canadian cities are forecast to experience extreme weather this week, with more than half forecast to be wet, with snowfall expected in at least one area.
The National Weather Service said in a press release Monday that it expects the worst weather to occur Wednesday and Thursday.
“Warm, sunny weather will continue into the weekend with a high of 26 C and a low of -8 C,” the agency said.
“Snow, sleet, and heavy rain are expected throughout the day.”
Cities will experience more extreme weather from Friday to Sunday, with wind gusts as high as 40 km/h and snowfall of between 15 and 30 cm.
Cities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario are forecast for the worst.
A number of cities in Quebec, the Atlantic provinces, and British Columbia are forecast as wetter than the national average.
“The forecast for Thursday is very similar to that for Wednesday, with a low pressure system moving across the country and bringing heavy snow to much of the region,” the National Weather Services said.
“A strong ridge system will form over northern Ontario with temperatures near freezing.”
In Alberta, about two-thirds of the province is forecast to have wet conditions, with the rest forecast for light snowfall and rain.
The weather agency said about 50 per cent of the northern regions are expected to experience rain, with much of that expected in the city of Fort McMurray, where a record high of 40.7 cm of snow fell on Sunday.
Temperatures are expected in parts of Alberta, including the city, to be in the teens and low 40s.
In British Columbia, a high pressure system is moving across Canada, bringing snowfall amounts of up to 15 cm.
In Manitoba, the high pressure is moving into the region and bringing snow totals of up in the mid-30s.
“While we do not anticipate severe weather, heavy snowfall is possible,” the weather service said.
In Saskatchewan, temperatures are forecasted to be between -15 and -15 C.
In Alberta’s north, a low-pressure system is heading west from the Northwest Territories, bringing down snow totals as high in the low-30 to low-40s.
The forecasted conditions are expected on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains.