Leaves are changing colour on a tree in Redcliff Tuesday afternoon - Photo by Charles Lefebvre

By Charles Lefebvre

Fall weather

Medicine Hat seeing above average temperatures this fall

Sep 24, 2019 | 4:29 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Medicine Hat’s fall has so far seen above average temperatures, matching an earlier forecast from Environment Canada.

However, the organization is predicting that streak will be coming to an end soon, with no rebound for at least a week.

“We first issued our fall forecast for the last week of August, and we were calling for slightly above normal temperatures for Medicine Hat for the fall, and that’s what we’ve been seeing so far this September, with the majority of the days having slightly above normal temperatures,” said Kyle Fougere, meteorologist with Environment Canada, over the phone from Edmonton.

Fougere says a normal daytime high for this time of the year is 18 degrees Celsius. Medicine Hat’s typical average high temperature Medicine Hat’s high temperatures have been an average of two degrees Celsius above average.

“It’s just been a favourable weather pattern, where we’ve had a ridge of high pressure over the province, that has led to some clearer skies and warmer temperatures that we’ve certainly been seeing the last several days,” he said.

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But, a change in weather patterns is occurring. Environment Canada is currently forecasting a low-pressure system to move through Alberta starting Wednesday and continuing Thursday, bringing cold air into the province. A second low pressure system, forming over Wyoming, is also in the forecast for the weekend, bringing more cold air and precipitation, with the possibility of snow in parts of southern Alberta, including Medicine Hat.

Fougere says a reprieve from the weather is not likely next week.

“Generally the ground still tends to keep some heat at this time of year, so the snow doesn’t tend to last too long,” he said. “Having said that, looking at the forecast for next week, it doesn’t look a lot better than this weekend. So it looks like we’re probably going to stay below normal starting about on Friday, and then lasting until probably the end of next week at least.”

Environment Canada says motorists should keep an eye on weather forecasts and other alerts ahead of the weekend, and plan their travel accordingly.