Alberta’s favourite furry prognosticator, Balzac Bill, may have predicted six more weeks of winter when he failed to see his shadow on Monday, but for many residents of Western Canada, the weather this week already feels like spring.
In Calgary, the mercury is forecast to soar into the mid-teens on Wednesday, well above the normal daytime temperature of -1 C at this time of year.
“That will very likely be a record. The record set back in 2009 at 13.2 degrees,” said Global Calgary weather specialist Sarah Offin. “It feels like spring in February, and that does feel a little strange.”
By 4 a.m. on Wednesday, the temperature in some parts of Calgary had already hit the low double-digits according to Environment Canada, prompting at least one local golf course to open for the day, on temporary greens.
Lethbridge and Medicine Hat could also break records this week, with temperatures in the mid-teens forecast into the weekend.
Even in Edmonton, where the normal high at this time of year is about -5 C, the mercury is forecast to hit +11 C on Wednesday afternoon.
In neighbouring Saskatchewan, “temperatures are skyrocketing this week,” according to Global Saskatchewan meteorologist Peter Quinlan.
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In Regina and Saskatoon on Thursday, the forecast high is expected to approach 7 C. That’s more than 10 degrees above normal, and could break the old records of 6.7 C in Saskatoon and 7.5 C in Regina, said Quinlan.
“The reason for the warmth is twofold. An upper-level ridge of high pressure is building in across Western Canada and extending further east through the central Prairies, coupled with an area of low pressure bringing a warm front through Saskatchewan and into Manitoba on Thursday,” added Quinlan.
Winnipeg residents will also get a chance to briefly enjoy the warm weather on Thursday, with a high of 2 C, before the temperature drops to a more seasonable -14 C on Friday.
In contrast to the warm weather in Western Canada, people living in easterly parts of the country are experiencing more traditional winter conditions, with temperatures below freezing and snow or flurries in the forecast later this week.
In both Toronto and Montreal, the forecast for Wednesday includes temperatures in the mid-single digits, before they plunge into the minus-teens overnight.
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