Warm and windy parade forecast; thunderstorms possible later Friday and on Saturday

Temperatures will sit in the low to mid-teens during the Calgary Stampede parade, with a mix of sun and cloud and a very slight chance of light and scattered rain by the end.

It will be windy – especially earlier in the morning as the trailing southern edge of a cold front passes over the city.

As of 7 a.m. Friday, sustained wind speeds of 35 km/h were observed with gusts closer to 50 km/h, making it feel a bit cooler than the ambient temperature.

The wind will ease up briefly at the end of the morning.

There is a slight chance of scattered showers and/or thunderstorms in the early afternoon on Friday, especially north of Calgary.

More instability is expected on Saturday with isolated thunderstorms expected across central and southern Alberta.

If they do form, these storms have the potential to intensify rapidly and become damaging, with the biggest threats including strong wind and hail.

Sunday will be the coolest day of the weekend with a daytime high of 17 C in Calgary, along with more widespread showers and thunderstorms.

Outside of Sunday, the Calgary Stampede forecast will be warm with daytime highs ranging from 23 C to 27 C, compared to the average high of 22 C.

Again with the exception of Sunday, overnight lows for the 10 days will range from 10 C to 12 C compared to the average low of 9 C.

Typical of weather during the Calgary Stampede there will likely be a few days with afternoon or evening thunderstorms, mostly initiated from daytime heating.