A dominant ridge of high-pressure has been parked over the west – in part due to an anchoring trough situated over central Canada. This has allowed warmer air to funnel into communities as far north as Grande Prairie and as far east as Lloydminster this week. On Monday, 11 Alberta locations set new record high temperatures – mostly in north-central regions. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) another 15 locations in Alberta set new record highs on Tuesday including: Neither Calgary nor Edmonton set new records on Tuesday. Calgary is one of many communities across southern Alberta that likely will (or has already) set a new maximum temperature record for Wednesday as daytime highs are expected to reach the mid-teens. The record high for Calgary on January 14 is 11.2 C (2004) and unofficially the temperature during Wednesday’s morning commute reached 13 C. While this is not a concrete rule in Calgary, usually the coldest temperature in a 24-hour period (the daily low) occurs just before sunrise. Given that the average low in Calgary is -15 C right now, that would make Wednesday mornings temperature 28 degrees warmer than a typical January value at this time of day. The average high this time of year in Calgary is -3 C. The forecast high on Wednesday is 15 C, or 18 degrees warmer than average. Snow has been melting quite quickly under this week’s above-seasonal trend. As of Wednesday morning some storm drains, back alleys and side streets still had slush and debris visible with water pooling nearby. Most of the measurable snow on the ground in southern Alberta (east of the foothills) is gone, however there are still heavy accumulations in the Rockies and in northern Alberta. West winds will be strong again on Wednesday with sustained speeds in Calgary of 20 to 30 km/h. Southwestern Alberta will have sustained speeds closer to 50 or 60 km/h, which is below a warning threshold. Temperatures will moderate slightly Thursday with the high dropping to 4 C for the end of the week. Overnight temperatures in Calgary will remain above seasonal for at least a week, with the daily lows often as warm as the average high.
