The heatwave this week broke a few temperature records in the Southern Alberta region.
Earlier in the week, Environment Canada issued a heat warning as daytime temperatures reached the high 20s and low 30s by mid-week.
On Thursday (May 29), the Claresholm area set a new record of 32.7 C, breaking the 31.5 C record that was set in 1986.
While the Bow Valley Provincial Park area reached 29.7 C, a jump from the previous record of 27.8 C set in 1936.
A new record was set in the Pincher Creek area, of 30.7 C, an increase from the previous 30 C record, set in 1936.
The Calgary area also set a new record of 30.9 C, up from the 30 C record that was previously set in 1934.
This weekend, two different systems are heading into the Foothills.
“We're going from this relatively warm pattern and going to see a cold front sweep through that is going to bring a risk of showers, maybe a thunderstorm, gusty winds, and a cooler air mass,” said Justin Shelley, Environment Canada Meteorologist.
On Saturday, a daytime high near 30 C is expected before a system develops in the evening that will produce a cold front, sweeping the southern and eastern parts of the province.
“That will likely approach the Foothills region, shifting winds from the south to the north and likely gusting anywhere from 50 to 70 km locally,” Shelley said.
On Saturday evening, Foothills County could see about 5 mm of rain.
“As that system moves out of the area by Sunday morning, we might be dealing with some residual early morning showers, but those should die off later in the day,” Shelley said. “Overall, we're looking at cooler temperatures in the region, likely somewhere in the high teens for daytime highs.”
The shift in the air mass over the weekend will continue into early next week before temperatures begin to warm up by mid-week.
“It’s not quite as significant as the temperatures we’re experiencing now, but it could bump temperatures back into the low 20s by the end of next week,” Shelley said.