Residents in Chestermere, Alberta, should prepare for a weekend of dramatic weather changes starting Saturday, March 7, 2026, as unseasonable warmth and high winds give way to freezing temperatures and snow. This rapid shift is expected to create hazardous travel conditions and weaken the ice on the local lake.
According to Environment Canada, Saturday will reach a high of 19°C with northwest winds blowing at 30 km/h and gusting up to 50 km/h. By Sunday night, March 8, 2026, temperatures are expected to drop sharply to -6°C with periods of snow.
The City of Chestermere is warning that these rapid temperature changes can quickly weaken the ice on the lake. Warm weather and swinging temperatures make the ice unstable, especially near shorelines and areas where water flows into the lake.
City officials remind residents that “no ice is safe ice” and urge skaters, anglers, and dog-walkers to stay off natural ice surfaces. Information on ice safety shows that these weather changes make it hard to tell how strong the ice really is, as the ice integrity weakens under extreme shifts in temperature.
