32-degree temperature change could be nightmare for Calgary migraine sufferers

Environment and Climate Change Canada recorded the temperature in Calgary at –27 C Wednesday morning.

Thursday has a forecasted high of 5 C.

That 32-degree change in about a day can be a nightmare for people who are sensitive.

"I started feeling the pressure overnight in my sinuses," Jane Tomey told CBC News in a phone interview.

Tomey really feels it when the weather changes.

"Now I am preparing for a full-blown migraine."

A meteorologist with the weather agency says the forecast temperature change is significant.

"That cold Arctic vortex, which had been supplying the Prairies with a lot of the frigid temperatures, that is finally going to start nudging to the east and moving out of the way," Andy Yun told CBC News on Wednesday.

"In Alberta, we are looking at westerly winds and a warming pattern coming back across our neck of the woods. We are looking at warming temperatures, with some areas warming quite a bit over the next few days."

An early spring?

"I hate to say winter is really over but it seems like we are going to be going from significantly below normal temperatures to many degrees above normal, and that pattern could probably hold through to the end of February," Yun said.

Yun says February was tracking to be one southern Alberta's colder ones, but this bump might skew the average.

"So far in February, we have been looking at temperatures quite a bit below average in a lot of areas," he said.

Meanwhile, for Tomey and her migraines, time can be of the essence.

"I need to be in a dark room. The second I start to feel it, I have 20 minutes to get to a safe place," she said.

"I have extreme pressure on my head. I get a terrible headache. I have visual auras. I just feel sick."

March could be a return to more normal temperatures, Yun said.

"These weather patterns, especially longer range, can change at any time. The only thing to really do is check your forecast and stay up to date," he said.