Brace yourselves for a few days of bitter winter temperatures

By COLLIN GALLANT on January 28, 2023.

Graders work on Fourth Avenue on the Southeast Hill on Thursday as crews took advantage of warm weather to expand cleanup of arterial residential roads in the city ahead of expected colder temperatures this weekend.--News Photo Collin Gallant

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

A forecasted return of dreaded winter cold may not be as bad as predicted for the Medicine Hat area, but temperatures are expected to plunge this weekend making travel more difficult.

After a relatively mild weather for most of January, colder temperatures were predicted to return overnight on Friday mixed with snow.

Daytime highs on the weekend were pegged in the low minus-teens, but may rise to the -10C range early in the week, though still colder over night.

Snow fell in eastern Alberta and Calgary through the day Friday.

A heavy snowfall warning was issued for the Crowsnest Pass on Friday afternoon, stating 10 to 20 centimetres expected by Saturday morning. That system was expected to push east.

Eastern Saskatchewan was slated to receive the worst of an arctic cold front on Friday and the weekend, with extreme cold weather warnings stretching into the province from Manitoba.

Seasonal driving conditions were reported on most highways in the southeast for much of the day Friday.

Sections of Highway 41, south of the Trans-Canada, and Highway 61, near Foremost, were reported as covered in snow and ice early Friday morning.