Few can deny that this month's temperatures have been balmy and that Airdrie's autumn has truly been that of a golden fall. Unfortunately, the above-average temperatures are soon coming to an end; very soon in fact.

According to Natalie Hazel, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, Airdrie and the surrounding areas have been under the influence of what she calls an upper ridge which is responsible for the 20-some degree temperatures. 

"Then we start to see this ridge dissipate somewhat as the cold front of a low-pressure system [comes in] and we will see cooler temperatures; closer to seasonal averages," she said.

Although the forecast for Thursday is predicting a daytime high of 10 degrees Celsius, which is all within the seasonal range, Hazel noted that by the week's end the temperatures will be below normal. The current forecast for Friday evening is predicting perception, either rain or snow, though Hazel noted that with Saturday's temperatures reaching above the zero mark (barely), it is likely any dusting of snow that might fall will quickly melt.

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Hazel noted that it has been an unusually dry September and October, considering the region historically sees somewhere around 45 millimetres of precipitation in September. 

"October's numbers suggest that from 1981 to 2010 Canadian climate normals suggest that October would typically get around 15 millimetres of precipitation, but the fact that you have got none for the first two weeks of the month does clearly show a very dry trend. It's being sunny, warm, and dry, though hopefully, this won't have too many consequences," Hazel said. "Hopefully things will shift so that you at least get some precipitation before freeze-up so that we might have a slightly better situation coming spring."

When asked about the predicted forecast for the end of October, specifically Halloween, she underlined that there are forecast models that do predict weather that far ahead, though some are contradicting others.

"For Halloween, I would not be surprised if temperatures are below zero."

While some models are predicting precipitation, others are also predicting some gusting winds, though she noted that it's probably best to prepare for a cool Halloween evening.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, Airdrie is only one-degree Celsius shy from breaking a record for warm temperatures. While the daytime high for October 219 is predicted to be 24, in 1921, it reached 25 degrees. It should be noted that the average high for the time of year hovers around 11.7 degrees Celsius.

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