Two low-pressure systems bringing frigid conditions to the Foothills

After a relatively warm week, Foothills County was plunged into sub-zero temperatures over the weekend.

A low-pressure system moved through Alberta, leaving frigid temperatures in its wake.

The Foothills would normally see daytime highs of -2 at this time of year, swinging the region from higher-than-average temperatures to well-below-average in one fell swoop.

Environment & Climate Change Canada meteorologist Kyle Fougere says a second system is coming through tomorrow (Nov. 29).

"That second system is going to bring in the worst of the cold air. It's looking right now like Friday is likely to be the coldest day for this cold snap."

Luckily, it seems Southern Alberta will be spared from heavy snowfall.

"The worst of the snow is going to be across the northern parts of Alberta, like Fort McMurray, High Level, so quite a bit further north. With these systems, likely you're going to see maybe five or potentially as high as ten centimetres."

Though significant snow won't be an issue locally, blowing snow on local roads could still pose some difficulty for drivers.

At this point, it's not clear if and when daytime temperatures will swing back in the other direction.

"The thing with these cold air systems is, once the cold air is here, it's really difficult to time when it'll be out. We're going to need a really strong low-pressure system that would bring in some south-westerly wind to clear it out. For the next week, it doesn't look like anything on the horizon will give us some reprieve from that. We are expecting December to have a colder-than-normal start for sure. Likely the first week, potentially into the second week of December," says Fougere.