As Calgarians prepare for the possibility of cold snap this week, they can take comfort in knowing they’re among Canada’s luckiest residents when it comes to weather.

Alberta has held in past years and continues to hold the top spot in a ranking of the country’s provinces and territories when it comes to most comfortable weather, said David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada.

Phillips said the provinces and territories received points based on how they stacked up in a number of weather categories that are considered to factor into a climate’s overall level of comfort.

The categories include mildest winters, springs and autumns, fewest wet days, lowest overall humidity, sunniest days, most hours of sunshine, etc.

The fact Alberta is home to some of Canada’s sunniest locales certainly helps it maintain its reign.

“If comfort is what you want, Alberta is where you should go,” said Phillips.

“Yeah, it can be cold and maybe the summers don’t get quite as hot, but one of your claims to fame really is the sunshine and that gains you a lot of points.”

And when it comes to comfort, the west seems to be best.

Alberta’s neighbours, Saskatchewan and B.C., are ranked second and third respectively for most comfortable weather.

Phillips said it’s important to remember he’s “averaged the hell out of the statistics” as provinces and territories are large areas with variable weather conditions, so the areas where the majority of the populations are may fare worse or better than the provincial average.

Ontario, New Brunswick and P.E.I. are fourth, fifth and sixth, followed by, in order: Yukon Territory, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Quebec ranks last.

Environment Canada was Tuesday calling for a chance of flurries in Calgary Wednesday followed by a drop from recent mild temperatures.

By Friday, the high is expected to be -11C and the low a bitter -20C, according to forecasters.

jenna.mcmurray@sunmedia.ca

On Twitter: 24Hrsjmcmurray