While Old Man Winter hammers the Maritimes, Calgary residents are enjoying a spring-like break with sunny skies and temperatures in the double digits.
Since the weekend, Calgarians taking advantage of the relatively balmy conditions have been running outside in shorts, golfing, and drinking on patios. On Sunday, the high of 17.2 Celsius shattered the previous record of 13.1 C for that date, set in 2007.
Golf Canada Calgary Centre, a public golf course in the city, has a heated driving range that remains open all year around. But last weekend, the heaters were off and the lineups were long.
General manager Chad Rusnak said the warm weather has helped quadruple the facility’s typical January business.
“On both Saturday and Sunday we were lined up with people waiting for the doors to open,” he told CTV Calgary.
Just a few weeks ago, the city was digging out from under heavy snow and coping with temperatures that dipped below -40 C with the wind chill.
All of the snow in the city hasn’t melted, but skateboarders merely shovelled away what remained on the half-pipes.
“You’ve just got to ride the dry spots,” said skateboarder Kyle Robertson.
Tuesday’s forecast high is 13 C with a mix of sun and cloud. But the temperature will begin dropping on Wednesday and Thursday, with forecast highs of 2 C and 3 C, respectively.
Frigid temperatures will return on the weekend, with periods of snow and a high of -12 C expected on Saturday.
With a report from CTV Calgary’s Scott McLean
