Northern Canada seeing record-breaking heat in May, here's where

After an inconsistent April flip-flopping between hot and cold, some parts of Canada are now experiencing temperatures much higher than the normal average for this time of year. 

A number of heat records were broken in Canada's western communities, including in a town in the Northwest Territories, where the temperature was much hotter than in many cities located much further south, and high enough to break a 125-year-old record.

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A high-pressure system brought higher-than-normal temperatures to parts of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories earlier this week, and stuck around into Thursday, prompting some weather warnings.

"This is where temperatures will exceed 29 C in the afternoon and likely not dip low enough overnight to provide much relief," Kelsey McEwen, CTV Your Morning's chief meteorologist, said on Thursday.

On Thursday, Environment Canada issued a heat warning for portions of northern Alberta including the communities of Edmonton, Fort McMurray and Athabasca. The early heat and lack of rain have already ignited three grassfires outside Edmonton this week.

The temperatures hit an all-time high for many regions the day before.

Further north in Hay River, N.W.T., residents experienced a peak temperature of 31 C, making Wednesday the warmest May 3 on record, breaking the previous record of 27.2 degrees in 1898.

This is extremely uncommon for the area located on the shores of Great Slave Lake. The Climate Atlas of Canada, a data organization sharing information on climate change, says between 1976 and 2005, the community only experienced an annual average of 1.9 days with temperatures above 30 C, a trend that is expected to increase to 5.3 days between 2021 and 2050.

The town was much hotter than Toronto, for example, where the temperature hovered around 10 C the same day. Other portions of Ontario and Quebec are seeing cooler-than-normal temperatures due to a low-pressure system that has settled over the provinces.

Yellowknife also broke a record first set in 1951. On Wednesday, the northern community had a temperature of 22.1 C. By 2050, those behind the Climate Atlas estimate the city will have an average of 1.8 days a year of 30-degree weather.

Fort Smith, N.W.T., bordering Alberta, was much hotter than usual on Wednesday, breaking a record set in 1945. Temperatures rose to a scorching 29 C, annihilating the previous record of 22.8 C.

The community will be facing more high temperatures, the Climate Atlas data estimates, with an average of 8.3 days of heat over 30 C expected each year by 2050.

Banff, Alta., had a 106-year heat record broken on Wednesday, with a high of 26.4 C. The normal temperature for this community this time of year is around 13 C.

This part of Canada, nestled in the mountains, rarely sees 30 C temperatures, but the Climate Atlas of Canada predicts that too will change. Between 1976 and 2005, the region did not have any 30-degree days, but in three decades, the atlas group estimates this will increase to an average of to 2.8 days of high heat each year.

Calgary also broke a record, this time set in 1897, with a high of 27.3 C on Wednesday. The community typically sees averages of around 15 C in early May.

The Climate Atlas said between 1976 and 2005, the city had about 5.2 days a year where the temperature climbed higher than 30 C, a trend that it estimates will almost triple, up to to 14.8 days by 2050.

Saskatoon saw higher than normal temperatures too on Wednesday, with the heat hovering around 26 C – not enough to break a record set in 1918 of 30 C, but still above seasonal norms. Like other cities in Canada, climate experts predict this heat trend will continue, doubling the above-30 days by 2050.

Heading east to Manitoba, temperatures were much higher than normal but also not at record-breaking levels. Typically, the highs in communities like Brandon and Winnipeg hover around 16 to 17 C, but on Wednesday, it was around 22 C in each city.

While some might be enjoying their first taste of summer weather this spring, others are experiencing the opposite.

A low-pressure system sitting over Ontario and Quebec is creating wet weather and lower-than-normal temperatures.

And on Friday, McEwen said, "We get into more rain across the B.C. coastline. This is signifying the beginning of a change in the forecast as temperatures right across Western Canada are set to drop as we head toward the weekend."