Get ready for a wild temperature rollercoaster across the Prairies as much colder weather will soon replace the hot summer-like temperatures.
The current late-September heat on the Prairies is hot on the heels of an all-time northern hemisphere heat event in Mexico. On Sept. 26, the temperature in Plutarco Elias Calles, Mexico, reached 48.5°C, a global heat record for the final week of September.
Now, Canada’s lingering summer heat will soon be on a temperature rollercoaster as, in some spots, weekend daytime highs of 30°C will drop by almost 20-degrees come Monday. That’s all thanks to a strong cold front that will track across the region late Sunday and into Monday.
RELATED: 3 important things to know about the fall season
No need to dig out all the winter gear just yet however, as a warmer pattern looks to return once again by next weekend. Don’t forget though, that the ‘normal’ temperature now drops by 2°C per week as we march through the fall season.
Sunday will feel like a sizzling summer day
Summer-like temperatures will remain locked in place for some southern sections of the Prairies on Sunday thanks to an area of low-pressure sitting over western Saskatchewan that will pull warm air in from south of the border.
While much of Alberta will hover closer to the seasonal mark, or slightly below, it’ll be a blast of full heat across southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where temperatures will hover around 18-degrees above normal for this time of year.
The warmest Canadian temperature this late in the year goes to Medicine Hat, Alberta at 33.9°C recorded on both Sept. 29, 1967, & Oct. 6, 1889. Eyes will be on Saskatchewan and Manitoba now to see if that record will be broken.
However, a strong cold front will track across the region late Sunday and Monday, with a shot of much colder weather quickly replacing the recent record heat.
RELATED: Why these Alberta winds are known as ‘Devil Winds’
Temperatures flip to fall on Monday
After a summery Sunday, folks on Monday will feel like they’ve been transported into a proper fall season. Southern Saskatchewan will drop from a daytime high of 31°C on Sunday, to a chilly 12°C on Monday — an astonishing 19°C drop in just 24 hours!
A brisk northwesterly wind of 40-70+ km/h will make folks want to bundle up before going outside.
As the winds calm overnight Monday, gardeners across Alberta and Saskatchewan will have to watch for a risk of frost.
Warmth returns to the southern Prairies on Tuesday
Manitoba will hang on to another dose of the milder weather in the high teens to low 20s on Monday, but the temperature drop comes shortly after for the region on Tuesday, with daytime highs sitting around 14°C.
SEE ALSO: Why Calgary can be a tricky place for migraine sufferers
Another cold front is expected mid-week, keeping widespread temperatures in the low teens.
A warmer pattern is then expected to return by the weekend, and into the second week of October, so no need to worry about free-fall into consistently cold weather just yet. The rest of October is forecast to have predominantly above-normal temperatures.
WATCH: Septembers in this town are warming up each year
Stay tuned to The Weather Network for the latest forecast updates on the Prairies.