Overnight temperatures in Calgary 20 degrees warmer than average

A ridge of high pressure situated over B.C. and extending as far north as the Yukon is the dominant weather maker right now for southern Alberta.

Strong westerly flow pushed overnight temperatures in Calgary to 13 C, or 20 degrees warmer than the average overnight low of -7 C.

Thursday will remain windy for the region with sustained winds in Calgary expected to hold around 20 km/h for most of the day with gusts around 40 km/h.

The temperature is expected to drop slightly early in the day and then return to at least 13 C by the afternoon with sunshine across southern Alberta.

Typical of chinook-like conditions, winds will be even stronger in the southwest corner of the province with sustained winds of 50 km/h and gusts closer to 70 km/h, neither of which would trigger a wind warning from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Daytime highs are expected to be even warmer on Friday before dropping back to temperatures just above seasonal for Saturday and Sunday.

The overnight lows in Calgary will range from -3 C to 0 C over the next seven days.