Rocky View County residents are getting a reprieve from the bone-chilling weather they have been experiencing since mid-December.
“You certainly won’t be sipping beer on a patio, but you won’t have to run from your office to your home,” said Environment Canada Senior Climatologist David Phillips. “You have seven days in a row with no precipitation and that gorgeous Alberta sunshine, and temperatures normal to above normal.”
Phillips said although the average high for December is -7.4°C, this year the region’s average temperature was -11.2°C. In 2011, the temperature averaged -5°C.
He added that snowfall is also up from the normal average of 40 centimetres by this time of year to 60 centimetres in the Calgary area.
“You guys have been in a deep freeze for sure, with temperatures reaching as low as -33°C with the wind chill,” said Phillips.
“It has been cold and snowy, it has looked like winter, it has felt like winter.”
Phillips said Dec. 27 had a high of -12°C in the area, and a low of -33°C with the wind chill. Ice crystals formed in the air that morning.
The weather turned on Dec. 28, with the arrival of some warm Pacific air, bringing the temperature up to a more seasonal -4°C.
Phillips said the weather is expected to remain seasonal or above until Jan. 4. New Year’s Day is expected to have a high of -2°C and a low of -10°C with sunny skies. Phillips said residents may experience a thaw on Jan. 2.
“It will really feel more human-like,” said Phillips. “Cars will start easier and your words won’t be seen in the air as they have been, 2013 will begin on a good note.”
The week-long reprieve is expected to end the first week of January but Phillips said the next cold snap won’t be as long or as brutal as the first one of the winter.
“This wasn’t your only bout of winter weather, but the next bout will be like the minor leagues compared with what you have just had,” he said.
