UPDATE: The advisory for the region has been cancelled by Environment Canada.

For the second day in a row, people in the Grande Prairie area have spotted funnel clouds in the sky. On Wednesday, sightings started around 1:15 p.m. on the west side of the city.

Environment Canada has issued an advisory for the region, noting weather conditions are favourable for the development of funnel clouds through the afternoon and into the early evening.

"These types of funnel clouds are generated by weak rotation under rapidly growing clouds or weak thunderstorms. This weak rotation is normally not a danger near the ground. However, there is a chance that this rotation could intensify and become a weak landspout tornado."

Funnel clouds were also reported north of Grande Prairie Tuesday, in the Sexsmith and Clairmont areas.

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People in the Grande Prairie region are dealing with poor air quality and reduced visibility Thursday morning. In a special statement, Environment Canada says it's due to smoke from wildfires in northern Alberta.

According to the Peace Airshed Zone Association, the Air Quality Health Index for the area has spiked to a 7, which is considered high risk. That could lead to symptoms like coughing, throat irritation, headaches, or shortness of breath.

Environment Canada notes children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk. Anyone having trouble breathing is encouraged to stay inside.

For central parts of Alberta, the smoke is expected to move back north by Friday morning.

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The wind at the Grande Prairie Airport reached record speeds Wednesday. Environment Canada recorded wind as fast as 63 kilometres an hour, unofficially breaking the previous April 17th record of 59 kilometres an hour set in 2008.

Strong winds are expected to continue in Grande Prairie through Friday. This is the second day of 2019 record wind speeds have been recorded in the city.

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It looks like winter is not ready to leave Grande Prairie just yet. According to Environment Canada Meteorologist Dan Kulak, people should expect to see some more snow this week.

"We are expecting some snow in the Grande Prairie, Peace River, even the High Prairie regions basically Wednesday night, Thursday and into Friday as well. Grande Prairie maybe five to ten centimetres but the ground is starting to warm up so a fair amount of that is probably going to melt as it hits."

Kulak says its quite common to see snow in April and into May. Based on 30-year data from 1981 to 2010, an average of 11 centimetres falls in April with three centimetres falling in May.

"We're still sort of on the tail end of winter, you might think of it as being second winter after having some warm weather and a lot of snow disappearing but we really have to be prepared for at least the next month and into May for reoccurring hits of white stuff."

When it comes to summer temperatures, Kulak says the city should see a generally warmer than normal April, May and June.

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February was the coldest February Grande Prairie has had in 40 years. According to Environment Canada Meteorologist Kyle Fougère, last month was 11.8 degrees colder than what people are used to seeing during that month.

"The mean temperature for this February in Grande Prairie was minus 23.6 which would make it the coldest February that Grande Prairie's experienced in 40 years. To compare that, on average the temperature for February is minus 11.8. It's actually 11.8 degrees colder than normal for the month of February this year."

Throughout the month there were also a number of snowfall warnings issued as well. On February 1st, 7.2 centimetres of snow fell at the Grande Prairie Airport, unofficially besting the previous February 1st record of 5.1 centimetres set in 1974.

These numbers follow a warmer than normal January where it was 6.3 degrees above normal temperatures. Over the last few years, Environment Canada has seen warmer starts to the winter season and colder ends. Looking ahead, Fougère says people can expect to see warmer weather next week.

"This week is going to stay below normal. We still have that cold air over most of the province. It's looking like next week we're going go back towards more normal temperatures for this time of year. For reference, it's normal at this time of year to have a daytime high of minus 2 and an overnight low of minus 13. This Sunday we're forecasting a daytime high of minus 1 so it looks like we'll finally get out of some of these below normal temperatures."

Fougère believes spring should stay around what they are used to seeing and says he doesn't believe Grande Prairie will see any abnormally warm or cold weather events.

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Two more weather records have been broken in Grande Prairie. On Sunday, Environment Canada says it reached minus 35.1 degrees Celsius at the Grande Prairie Airport, unofficially passing the previous February 24th record low of minus 33.4 degrees, set in 1994.

The minimum dew point Sunday was minus 39 degrees, which was a record for the day. Since the beginning of 2019, 21 new weather records have been set in Grande Prairie.

Beaverlodge also saw a record low of minus 35.8 degrees Sunday.

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UPDATE: The extreme cold warning has ended.

Mother Nature isn't done with us yet. Another extreme cold warning has been issued for the Grande Prairie - Beaverlodge - Valleyview and Peace River - Fairview - High Prairie - Manning regions.

Environment Canada says the coldest wind chill values will be near minus 40.

"Under mainly clear skies, extreme cold wind chills are expected to redevelop again [Tuesday night] for parts of central and northwestern Alberta. These extreme values will moderate somewhat late Wednesday morning."

Residents are urged to watch for cold-related symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain and weakness, numbness and colour change in fingers and toes. They're also reminded that it could be too cold for pets to stay outside.

The last extreme cold warning for the area lasted from February 2nd to the morning of February 12th. During that time, several weather records were broken in Grande Prairie.

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This cold snap has broken yet another weather record for Grande Prairie. It dropped to a low of minus 39.3 degrees Sunday, far surpassing the previous record low for February 10th of minus 34.1 set in 1985.

Two other records were unofficially broken Sunday. The minimum windchill reached minus 48 while the minimum dew point was minus 42.9 degrees.

Saturday also marked a new record minimum high for the city. Environment Canada says it only warmed up to minus 31.4 degrees on February 9th.

An extreme cold warning has been in effect for the region since February 2nd. Since the first of the month, several different weather records have unofficially been broken.

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An extreme cold warning remains in effect for the Grande Prairie - Beaverlodge - Valleyview and Peace River - Fairview - High Prairie - Manning regions more than eight days after one was first issued. Environment Canada says extreme cold conditions are expected to continue Sunday night in areas without much cloud,

The coldest wind chill values will be between minus 40 and minus 50. Some areas may see extreme wind chills into Wednesday. Environment Canada warns the weather puts everyone at risk.

"Watch for cold-related symptoms: shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain and weakness, numbness and colour change in fingers and toes. If it's too cold for you to stay outside, it's too cold for your pet to stay outside."

It's likely another record cold day will be recorded Sunday in Grande Prairie. The record low for February 10th was set at minus 34.1 degrees in 1985, and it reached nearly as low as minus 39 around 9 a.m.

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Grande Prairie came close to having the coldest February 5th on record Tuesday. Environment Canada says it reached minus 38.8 degrees, just short of the record of minus 38.9 degrees set on February 5, 1975.

However, the Swan City did break a weather record. The high for the day was minus 25.6 degrees, unofficially the lowest ever for that date.

The cold weather Tuesday prompted several school bus cancellations, which were followed by a travel advisory due to poor road conditions Wednesday morning. The ski hill at Nitehawk Year-Round Adventure Park is also closed for Wednesday night.

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Monday marked the coldest February 4th on record for Grande Prairie. Environment Canada says it reached a low of minus 43.7 degrees, unofficially passing the previous record of minus 39.4 degrees set on February 4, 1975.

Three other daily weather records were set Monday: the minimum high temperature of minus 34.8 degrees, a minimum windchill of minus 54, and a minimum dew point of minus 48 degrees. The cold weather kept school buses from running, caused issues for airlines at the Grande Prairie Airport, and led to several reports of burst pipes.

A trio of records was also set on Sunday, including a minimum windchill of minus 51, a minimum high of minus 31.4 degrees, and a minimum dew point of minus 44.6 degrees. Saturday saw a record minimum windchill of minus 47 while snowfall and precipitation records were set Friday.

An extreme cold warning remains in effect for much of the province. Environment Canada says wind chills between minus 40 and minus 50 will continue Tuesday morning before moderating in the afternoon and then returning overnight into Wednesday. The cold arctic air is expected to remain through till Thursday.

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The Grande Prairie area is in for some heavy snowfall, but it won't end there. Meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada Kyle Fougere says the winter storm will bring cold arctic air with it as well.

"We're expecting temperatures to get down into the minus 20s as a high for Saturday and Sunday, and then in the mornings on Monday/Tuesday lows into the minus 30s."

A snowfall warning is in effect for the Grande Prairie - Beaverlodge - Valleyview and Peace River - Fairview - High Prairie - Manning regions. A total of 15 to 30 centimetres is expected by Saturday afternoon.

Fougere explains it's the result of a low-pressure system that developed Thursday from the Edmonton area towards Grande Prairie. It's expected to further develop overnight.

"It's going to last for quite a long time," adds Fougere. "It's a pretty slow moving low as it moves from B.C. into Alberta and then slowly moves off to the east. That's going to lead to a long duration snowfall event."

The snow is expected to be fluffy, making it larger in volume but easier to deal with than heavy snow that's hard to shovel in the spring. However, Fougere warns Friday will be a bad day to travel.

"The snow is going to be heavy at times and the winds are going to be pretty good from the east - probably 20, gusting 40 kilometres an hour - which will reduce visibility, so anybody travelling [Friday] and early in the day Saturday should expect to see poor visibilities in the snow and encounter quite a bit of snow on their journey."

The local forecast for Grande Prairie is calling for five to 10 centimetres of snow, at times heavy, Thursday night with a windchill of minus 29 overnight and a risk of frostbite. Another 10 centimetres of snow is expected Friday, and then five to 10 Friday night.

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UPDATE: The winter storm watch for the region has been cancelled.

A winter storm watch has been issued for the Grande Prairie - Beaverlodge - Valleyview region. Environment Canada says a significant amount of snow is possible and visibility could be suddenly reduced.

"A slow moving frontal system will spread heavy snow into western Alberta beginning Thursday morning. This long duration snowstorm may produce total accumulations of 30 to 40 centimetres for these regions by Saturday afternoon."

Meteorologists are reportedly closely monitoring the situation, and Environment Canada warns the watch could be upgraded to a warning as the forecast becomes more certain. Winter storm watches are issued when 25 centimetres or more snow is possible within a 24 hour period.

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UPDATE: The fog advisory has ended.

A fog advisory has been issued for the Grande Prairie - Beaverlodge - Valleyview region. Environment Canada says near zero visibility is expected or happening over some areas.

An area of dense fog formed near Grande Prairie overnight. It is expected to continue until late Tuesday morning.

Anyone travelling is urged to be prepared for areas of near-zero visibility.

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Grande Prairie saw more than 18 centimetres of snowfall Saturday, smashing through two 69-year-old weather records. In total, the airport recorded 18.3 centimetres, far surpassing the 10.2 centimetres that fell on December 29, 1949.

A total of 10.2 millimetres of precipitation was also recorded that day 69 years ago, passed by the 15.3 millimetres seen Saturday. A snowfall warning was issued by Environment Canada Friday afternoon, predicting between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow by Sunday morning.

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A snowfall warning has been issued for the Peace River - Fairview - High Prairie - Manning region. Environment Canada says a total of 10 to 20 centimetres is expected.

The forecast is calling for a band of heavy snow to move from British Columbia into northern Alberta Thursday. It's expected to start in Peace River in the afternoon, moving east towards Fort McMurray by the evening.

Environment Canada predicts the snow will end in the western part of Alberta Friday evening, and overnight Friday into Saturday morning for places closer to the Saskatchewan border. Strong wind gusts of 50 to 70 kilometres are also in the forecast for Friday afternoon, leading to poor visibility.

"By the end of this event upwards of 20 centimetres of snow will be possible for some communities," Environment Canada adds. "Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions."

The forecast for Grande Prairie is calling for two centimetres of snow with wind gusting up to 40 kilometres an hour Thursday.

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A freezing rain warning has been issued for the Grande Prairie - Beaverlodge - Valleyview and Peace River - Fairview - High Prairie - Manning regions. Environment Canada says an area of freezing rain is expected to develop over the Grande Prairie and southern Peace River regions overnight.

It's then forecast to move eastwards into portions of the Red Earth and Slave Lake regions by Monday morning. Freezing rain should end by noon.

Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery. People in the area are warned to be extra careful when walking or driving in affected areas.

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For the second year in a row, Grande Prairie has broken a wind gust record on December 12th. Gusts up to 73 kilometres an hour were recorded at the airport Wednesday, besting the previous record of 72 kilometres an hour set just one year earlier on December 12, 2017.

This is the fifth time this year that a wind gust record has been broken in Grande Prairie. The most recent day was November 18th, while August 31st, June 11th, and May 28th also registered record high wind gusts.

Environment Canada says the strongest wind gusts on record for the city were 122 kilometres an hour on May 14, 1971. Typically, the windiest months are May, July, and during the winter.

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Grande Prairie has broken a second weather record in less than a week. Environment Canada recorded wind gusts of 71 kilometres per hour Sunday.

That unofficially bests the previous November 18th wind gust record of 69 kilometres per hour set in 1971. A rainfall record was also set Thursday when 4.8 millimetres fell at the Grande Prairie Airport.

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