Not the winter southern Alberta expected, but that could change soon

Southern Alberta is used to colder winters, but that's not the case this year, with strong chinook winds making January unexpectedly warm so far.

Strong winds and warm temperatures took care of most of the snow on the ground in Lethbridge.

The city’s no stranger to winter chinooks, but systems this powerful are unusual.

“The next few, days we could see temperatures—daytime highs—looking 15 to 20 degrees above normal for a lot of places,” said James Colangelo, Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist.

The warm weather will have some people headed outside to take advantage of opportunities that are rare for this time of year.

Evergreen Golf Centre’s course and driving range are both open.

“When we get customers coming in and they find out that we’re open, they’re usually quite excited to be able to swing outside and on the course,” said Josh Walker, Evergreen Golf Centre head professional.

“That’s always a plus for those customers coming in. We do have the year-round driving range as well.”

Homeowners also have the chance to do wintertime checks and maintenance.

Warm weather will highlight leaks, and high winds will expose drafts.

It’s even a chance to get some gardening done.

“If it gets warm, as in above 10 degrees, it’s also a chance to do some deep watering for your trees and shrubs,” said Kathleen Sheppard, Environment Lethbridge executive director.

“We haven’t had much moisture yet this winter, and so those plants will really look forward to that extra moisture.”

Lethbridge might see more typical winter weather next week.

But first, new heat records could be set.

The all-time high for January in Lethbridge was 20 degrees, set in 2015.

“(In) the forecast right now, we have a high of 19 for Wednesday. So, it’s possible there could be an all-time record set,” said Colangelo.