Back-to-back storms to drop heavy snow, usher in coldest air of season for Canadian Rockies
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Oct 13, 2020 5:52 PM EDT
Sometimes, maintaining your car’s tires is not enough. Depending on where you live, you may want to consider changing your tires during the changing seasons.
A one-two punch of storms across the Canadian Rockies is forecast to bring what AccuWeather meteorologists say will be the coldest air since April.
A potent storm crashed onshore in British Columbia on Tuesday, bringing rain to coastal locations and snow farther inland.
Snow is forecast to spread over the rest of the province and into southern Alberta and northwestern parts of the United States into Wednesday.
While snow showers are forecast to mix in with rain in the lower elevations, it's in the highest parts of the Rockies where the biggest snowfall accumulations are likely.
Snow amounts of 10-15 cm (4-6 inches) are forecast for southeastern British Columbia while the Rockies of Alberta are likely to top out at 15-20 cm (6-8 inches). This region includes Banff National Park and Jasper National Park.
Canada's national weather service, Environment Canada, warned that the snow could impede travel conditions through some of the higher passes of southeastern British Columbia and western Alberta, including Highway 93, Highway 3 and Coquihalla Highway.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Later Wednesday and into Wednesday night, the storm will dive southeastward across the northern Plains of the U.S., spreading wintry weather into states such as North Dakota and Minnesota. Even as the storm pulls away, chilly conditions and some snow showers will linger across the mountains of Montana and northern Idaho as well as in eastern British Columbia and western Alberta.
At the same time, the strong wind gusts that pushed across southwestern Canada on Tuesday will develop on the southern side of the storm and move into the United States. Widespread wind gusts of 64-80 km/h (40-50 mph) are expected to rush across Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas, with wind gusts up to 97 km/h (60 mph) in the highest elevations of Montana.
This wintry storm is not expected to be the only one to bring snow to the region this week. In fact, another storm is forecast to follow a very similar path on Friday and Friday night, starting at the central coast of British Columbia and diving down across the Rocky Mountains.
With cold air already in place following the first wave of snow, it is likely that this second storm could produce more snow than the first.
Once again, Banff and Jasper national parks are likely to get blanketed with fresh snow.
A mountain range inside Banff National Park is seen in the early morning in Lake Louise, Alberta December 2, 2010. The national park, Canada's oldest, is situated in the Rocky Mountains. (REUTERS/Andy Clark)
The second storm is also likely to pull down more Arctic air, allowing the coldest air so far this season to dive down across the Rockies.
Parts of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan will be stuck below zero C (32 F) for the weekend, with mountainous regions expecting temperatures as low as -18 C (zero F) by Sunday night.
AccuWeather meteorologists forecast that Calgary will struggle to reach zero C (32 F) in the afternoons this weekend, with overnight low temperatures near -10 C (14 F), temperatures more akin to the months of December or January.
Late-season cold shots last spring suppressed temperatures in Calgary, with highs being held well below zero degrees C (32 F) for several days this past April. The latest of these dates was April 12, when the city's temperature topped out at only -2 C (28 F).
This plunge of cold will trickle farther to the southeast, allowing the deep cold to encompass much of the northern Plains and Midwest of the United States later this week.
AccuWeather is set to release its comprehensive Canada Winter Forecast for the 2020-2021 season on Wednesday.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Winter Weather
Back-to-back storms to drop heavy snow, usher in coldest air of season for Canadian Rockies
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Oct 13, 2020 5:52 PM EDT
Sometimes, maintaining your car’s tires is not enough. Depending on where you live, you may want to consider changing your tires during the changing seasons.
A one-two punch of storms across the Canadian Rockies is forecast to bring what AccuWeather meteorologists say will be the coldest air since April.
A potent storm crashed onshore in British Columbia on Tuesday, bringing rain to coastal locations and snow farther inland.
Snow is forecast to spread over the rest of the province and into southern Alberta and northwestern parts of the United States into Wednesday.
While snow showers are forecast to mix in with rain in the lower elevations, it's in the highest parts of the Rockies where the biggest snowfall accumulations are likely.
Snow amounts of 10-15 cm (4-6 inches) are forecast for southeastern British Columbia while the Rockies of Alberta are likely to top out at 15-20 cm (6-8 inches). This region includes Banff National Park and Jasper National Park.
Canada's national weather service, Environment Canada, warned that the snow could impede travel conditions through some of the higher passes of southeastern British Columbia and western Alberta, including Highway 93, Highway 3 and Coquihalla Highway.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Later Wednesday and into Wednesday night, the storm will dive southeastward across the northern Plains of the U.S., spreading wintry weather into states such as North Dakota and Minnesota. Even as the storm pulls away, chilly conditions and some snow showers will linger across the mountains of Montana and northern Idaho as well as in eastern British Columbia and western Alberta.
At the same time, the strong wind gusts that pushed across southwestern Canada on Tuesday will develop on the southern side of the storm and move into the United States. Widespread wind gusts of 64-80 km/h (40-50 mph) are expected to rush across Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas, with wind gusts up to 97 km/h (60 mph) in the highest elevations of Montana.
This wintry storm is not expected to be the only one to bring snow to the region this week. In fact, another storm is forecast to follow a very similar path on Friday and Friday night, starting at the central coast of British Columbia and diving down across the Rocky Mountains.
Related:
With cold air already in place following the first wave of snow, it is likely that this second storm could produce more snow than the first.
Once again, Banff and Jasper national parks are likely to get blanketed with fresh snow.
A mountain range inside Banff National Park is seen in the early morning in Lake Louise, Alberta December 2, 2010. The national park, Canada's oldest, is situated in the Rocky Mountains. (REUTERS/Andy Clark)
The second storm is also likely to pull down more Arctic air, allowing the coldest air so far this season to dive down across the Rockies.
Parts of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan will be stuck below zero C (32 F) for the weekend, with mountainous regions expecting temperatures as low as -18 C (zero F) by Sunday night.
AccuWeather meteorologists forecast that Calgary will struggle to reach zero C (32 F) in the afternoons this weekend, with overnight low temperatures near -10 C (14 F), temperatures more akin to the months of December or January.
Late-season cold shots last spring suppressed temperatures in Calgary, with highs being held well below zero degrees C (32 F) for several days this past April. The latest of these dates was April 12, when the city's temperature topped out at only -2 C (28 F).
This plunge of cold will trickle farther to the southeast, allowing the deep cold to encompass much of the northern Plains and Midwest of the United States later this week.
AccuWeather is set to release its comprehensive Canada Winter Forecast for the 2020-2021 season on Wednesday.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo