"The cold front marks a pattern change in the west, where colder Arctic air will move in behind the cold front, leading to a significant drop in temperatures for the western Prairies," explains Weather Network meteorologist Brett Soderholm.

20-degree temperature drop deepens Monday. See where

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Monday, September 14, 2015, 7:55 AM - Temperatures continue to drop in parts of the Prairies as many feel the chill of a large temperature swing that began early Sunday.

The combination of a deep low over Nunavut and a high pressure system over the Beaufort Sea are ushering in frigid, Arctic air via some very gusty winds behind an incoming cold front.

Alberta is feeling the brunt of the temperature shift, with some Albertan cities seeing temperatures drop by more than 20 C -- among them, Calgary and Canmore.

The dip in temperatures brought snow to high-elevation areas Sunday overnight, with Canmore seeing accumulation on unpaved terrain.

Canmore and Nordegg felt temperatures around 1 C early Monday morning. Weather Network meteorologist Erin Wenckstern says high-elevation snowfall will continue overnight Monday, preceded by daytime rain.

There won't be too much accumulation though, Wenckstern notes. As much as 2 to 5 cm of snow will fall on high terrain, but rising temperatures during the day will eliminate much of it.

TV UPDATES! Tune into The Weather Network on TV for continued updates on this system.

Temperatures on Monday

A Look Ahead

The unsettled mass of cool air also triggers scattered showers and isolated, non-severe thunderstorms. Lower elevations in Alberta will see rain through the day Monday, which is forecast to move into parts of Saskatchewan Tuesday.

As systems track east, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will also feel noticeably cooler, but temperatures changes will be far more gradual compared to parts of Alberta.

"The cold front marks a pattern change in the west, where colder Arctic air will move in behind the cold front, leading to a significant drop in temperatures for the western Prairies," explains Weather Network meteorologist Brett Soderholm. "In addition, this situation will lead to upsloping conditions along the eastern Rockies, which translates to cold rains and mixing in the higher elevations."

Large swings aren't uncommon in southern Alberta. Residents will remember that it was exactly this time last year that a series of storms dumped snow on the Calgary that left the mayor speechless.

But the region traditionally sees these fluctuations go from cold to above seasonal due to warm, dry westerly winds known as chinooks.

This week's weather pattern represents the opposite.

The swing will continue until later in the week. Temperatures will go up to near-seasonal by Thursday and Friday, before slowly climbing back up to seasonal by the weekend.

Web cam images courtesy of AB511/AMA Road Reports Camera, Alberta's Ministry of Transportation.

WATCH HOW THE JET STREAM DRIVES THE FLUCTUATIONS THROUGH MONDAY