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Santa Claus may want to don this warmest red suit before traversing the skies over Alberta this weekend.ย
The weather outside will be frightfully frigid in Alberta over the holidays.
Much of the province is headed into a prolonged deep freeze and Environment Canada says the forecast isnโt expected to thaw out until the new year.ย
The extreme weather will linger over the coming week and Albertans planning to spend their holidays enjoying the outdoors may see those plans put on ice.
Already frosty temperatures will plunge over the weekendย with the downward trend taking hold on Christmas Day.
The clouds will clear a bit and it will get even colder.โ Kyle Fougรจre
โWeโre starting to see an Arctic air mass come down over the province of Alberta,โ said Environment Canada meteorologist Kyle Fougรจre.
โThe worst of it wonโt quite have arrived by Christmas day but it is going to be quite a bit below normal.
โAfter that, the clouds will clear a bit and it will get even colder.โย
Edmontonians can expect to wake up to a high of around โ22 C and a low of around โ24 C on Christmas day.ย
Decemberย 25ย has an average high of โ6 C with an overnight low of around โ15 C in Edmonton.ย The coldest Christmas on record in the city was โ39.4 C in 1880.ย
In Calgary, there will be snow on Christmas morning with temperatures steady aroundย โ24 C and Environment Canada is warning of a frostbite risk.
The breathtaking cold is only expected to get more extreme early next week.ย
Extreme cold warnings will likely be issued in communities across the province over the weekend as the worst of the biting temperatures take hold, he said.ย
Temperatures are expected to plunge to lows betweenย โ30 C andย โ40 C. Daytime temperatures will remain frigid, sitting around -25 C, Fougรจre said.ย ย
โIt looks like early next week will probably be the worst of the cold,โ Fougรจre said.
โDaytime highs could be as high as the mid โ20s, but there might be some days where we donโt even reach that.โ
A Siberian blast
Fougรจre advises drivers to ensure their vehicles are stocked with an emergency kit that includes a candle and blanket before travelling.
Anyone braving the cold should bundle up, protect their skin from the elements and keep their time outside to a minimum, he said.
A low pressure system chilled by snowy vistas of Siberia is to blame for the frosty temperatures,ย Fougรจre said.
The blast of Arctic air is expected to remain stubbornly in place for days, keeping central Alberta on ice for at least a week.ย
โBecause this Arctic air is really cold and dense, itโs really hard to displace. When these happen, they can stick around for quite a while,โย Fougรจre said.ย
โItโs difficult to say when exactly things are going to improve in Alberta.โ
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