Heavy snowfall is expected today (December 19) and tomorrow in much of Southern Alberta, prompting Environment Canada to issue a snowfall warning for Airdrie, Cochrane, Rocky View and Mountainview counties.

Dan Kulak, Meteorologist with Environment Canada, explained why the snowfall has suddenly come on so heavy after weeks of unseasonable warm temperatures.

"We have a Pacific weather system moving in from the Pacific into B.C. and as it continues to move east, it will move across the northern U.S. states and push snow into southern Alberta. Some of that snow is actually starting already. We had snow yesterday and a bigger dump of snow is expected beginning today and lasting through a good part of tomorrow."

While Airdrie will see a lot of snow in the coming days, we are likely not the area hardest hit in the province.

"The Airdrie area expecting around 15 centimeters of snow or something like that. Further into the the west into the Foothills - Kananaskis, Cardston, Crowsnest - expecting 25, possibly as high as 40 centimeters in some locations."

With a drop in temperatures, Kulak said it's unlikely that a lot of natural melting will occur, and Airdrie will most likely see a white Christmas after all.

"Daytime highs in the next week or so are going to be in the -5 to -9 degree range, so you're not going to get a lot of melting with those type of temperatures. What's going to happen in the next couple days is probably going to be around for the most part come Christmas day."

 

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