Thursday’s forecast had Friday’s wind at west 40 km/h gusting to 60. Environment and Climate Change Canada’s newest Lethbridge forecast, issued early Friday, has turned that up a notch.
What ECCC expects now
- Today: southwest wind 30 km/h gusting to 50 this morning, picking up to 50 gusting to 70 near noon. Sunny, then a mix of sun and cloud. High 13.
- Tonight: west 60 km/h gusting to 80. A few clouds, low 8.
- Saturday: west 60 gusting to 80 early, then easing to south 20 gusting to 40 in the morning. High 15.
- Sunday: sunny and windy again.
As of mid-morning Friday, there were no warnings or special weather statements in effect for Lethbridge. Forecasts change, and ECCC can add an alert at any time, so check weather.gc.ca or the WeatherCAN app before you head out tonight.
What it means around here
Tonight and early Saturday are the windiest stretch. With no rain or snow in the forecast, this is a wind story, not a slippery-roads story, but strong crosswinds are their own hazard. Open highway east and north of the city, bridge decks and the coulee rims catch the full force, and tall vehicles, trailers and RVs feel it most.
Gusts near 80 can also bring down branches, and branches on lines can mean a flicker or an outage overnight.
A few practical steps
- Before driving tonight or early Saturday, check road reports on 511 Alberta. If you’re towing or driving something tall, waiting until the wind turns south Saturday morning is a reasonable choice.
- On the road, slow down, keep both hands on the wheel, and give big trucks and trailers extra room.
- Charge phones and keep a flashlight where you can find it in the dark.
- If the power goes out, the Government of Canada’s Get Prepared advice is to unplug sensitive electronics so a surge doesn’t damage them when power returns. Our power outages page has more.
- If you see a downed power line, stay well back, treat it as live, and call 911 if anyone is in danger.
More on highway wind and the vehicle kit is on our winter driving page. And if you missed it, yesterday’s 15-minute yard walk-around is still worth doing before noon.
To watch the gusts arrive minute by minute, keep West Lethbridge Weather open.