Warm, sunny forecast for St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Calgary

Calgary is in for a very nice St. Patrick’s Day weekend, with temperatures expected to soar into the mid-to-high teens on Saturday and Sunday.

For many, it could mean hitting a patio, but for those who have a green thumb, it might not be time to break out the gardening tools just yet.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) meteorologist Marianna Greenhough says this warm spell will come to an abrupt end.

“It looks like after we have this stretch of nice warm weather, a cold front does come through Tuesday night, and that is going to bring some light snow and temperatures below zero — probably in around -5°C — maybe a bit lower,” she said.

And, this might not be the last frost of the season.

“It’s really tough to say because as we get into spring, you do tend to see a lot of wild swings in temperature, which is really normal to see in Alberta,” she explained. “So, it’s unlikely that this will be the last of the snowy conditions.

“Calgary could see maybe upwards of 10 centimetres of snow by the end of Friday, so it’s going to be quite a drastic change from the end of this week into the next.”

Due to what’s expected to be a shift in weather conditions, commuters are advised to pay attention to the forecast.

On the bright side — for now — temperatures are expected to hit 15°C on Saturday and warming up even more to 18°C on Sunday.