Spring begins on Tuesday evening, but Airdrie may very well be blanketed in snow, in the coming days.

Paul Silvestro, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said that the Pacific weather system which has meant double-digit temperatures and plenty of sun for Airdrie is coming to an end.

"We do have a change in airmass coming; cooler air from the north will infiltrate the province. At the same time, we're going to have a system moving in from southern British Columbia, which is going to bring precipitation to the area. It does look like most of it will be snowfall."

While there may be rain to start, that will quickly transition to snow. There are predictions that up to 10 centimetres of snow could accumulate between Tuesday evening and Wednesday night.

Currently, weather forecasts for Airdrie are also predicting a plummet in temperatures, although Silvestro noted that temperatures over the past several days were well above average.

Tuesday's daytime high is forecast at five Degrees Celsius, with clouds. By the evening, the temperature will drop to minus six degrees with a possibility of rain turning into snow. The snow is expected to continue throughout Wednesday, with nighttime temperatures falling to minus 12.

Snow may continue throughout the rest of the week, up until Saturday. Friday's daytime high will be the coolest at minus 11. Although Silvestro said it is difficult to predict several days out, he said that the temperatures in the coming days will be below average. It is also unclear how much total snow will accumulate by the end of this week. 

"Heading into early next week, that is a probability of our temperatures being above below or near normal for the next three months; March, April, and May, it does look like we should rebound to more seasonal values. There is a probability that we could get above-average, normal temperatures, looking at Spring as a whole," he added.

Despite the forecast snowfall over the coming days, Silvestro said that when looking at average precipitation for this time of the year and making a comparison, it is still within the average range, though he said when looking at Springtime as a whole, the next few months may see below-average precipitation, fueling worries that Alberta's drought problem will not be solved.

"Drought generally takes a while; you need a lot of precipitation over a long period to recover from a drought. A couple of systems - including the one this week, generally isn't enough to kind of relieve that drought."

Despite much cooler temperatures on the way, along with the snow, he added that El Nino generally does bring warmer, drier conditions, especially to regions like Alberta.

"Looking back at the past winter, it did feel warmer, and it was warmer than average looking, as well as drier for much of the province."

The Farmer's Almanac is predicting that Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan will be clear but cold in the Rockies this week. The week leading up to Easter may see storm systems moving east, which could bring more snow to Alberta, as well as Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. However, it appears the Easter holidays may be slightly better, with sun and clouds.

April is forecast to be cloudy and cold in the first few weeks. By mid-April, the prairies could see increasing rain and thunderstorm activity spreads east from the lee slopes of the Rockies.

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