Massive temperature swing on the way for Alberta: Coldest weather this winter [Video]

Brace yourself, Alberta: the unseasonably warm weather is coming to an abrupt end.

Temperatures across the Prairies are expected to plunge this weekend by up to 40 degrees as the jet stream dips south, bringing with it a mass of cold Arctic air.

“It will be the coldest weather so far this winter across the Prairies,” said Danielle Desjardin, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Desjardin predicts there will be extreme cold warnings issued across much of the region.

“For the city of Edmonton, a roughly 30 to 40 degree temperature drop is expected,” said Global Edmonton weather specialist Phil Darlington.

The change begins on Thursday, when a low-pressure system develops over northwestern Alberta.

“That system will bring 15-25 cm of snow to northern Alberta,” said Global Calgary meteorologist Tiffany Lizée.

“Meanwhile, the cold front associated with this system will swing south with strong winds, pulling cold Arctic …