Unseasonably warm weather in the Bow Valley smashed temperature records earlier this week.
Banff was one of 17 communities that broke records across the province on Sunday (Jan. 25), with temperatures reaching double digits, and one of four towns to reach a new record on Monday (Jan. 26).
The mercury soared to 12.3 C in Banff on Sunday, smashing the old record of 7.8 C set in 1906. The temperature reached 8.5 C on Monday, breaking the previous high of 6.7 C set in 2003.
Tuesday (Jan. 27) continued to see above average temperatures in the Bow Valley, but it will start to cool down as the weekend approaches.
“When you shatter more than a 100-year record by well over 4.5 degrees like Banff did on Sunday, that’s something. That’s a major break in a record,” said Bill McMurtry, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada.
“It’s just phenomenal warmth across most of Western Canada, particularly the prairie provinces. Typically, the coldest time of year is generally about the second or third week of January.”
Balmy temperatures forced the municipalities of Banff and Canmore to close outdoor skating rinks.
In Canmore, the Pond and five outdoor community rinks were shut down Monday (Jan. 26).
“Some of them melted, which means they have to be rebuilt, but others haven’t melted fully and now are uneven,” said Sally Caudill, the Town of Canmore’s communications coordinator.
“Once it freezes up again, we will assess the damage at the Pond and see if it can be rebuilt. It’s hard to imagine now, but there’s still a lot of winter ahead.”
Banff also closed its skating pond by the Banff Community High School.
“We’re watching the overnight temperatures, and as soon as it’s dropped enough to flood the rink a couple of times, we will reopen,” said Paul Godfrey, the Town of Banff’s operations manager. “We closed it because we can’t make ice or maintain it at these temperatures.”
Godfrey said he suggests homeowners move snow away from the side of their houses, and help street crews by clearing storm sewer drains of snow and ice.
As a result of the warming weather melting snow and ice, a flooded control panel on Banff Avenue knocked out some streetlights Monday around 6 p.m. between Wolf and Rabbit streets. “It’s repaired,” said Godfrey.
According to Environment Canada, average temperatures for Banff at this time of year are daytime highs of -4 C and nighttime lows of -17 C.
The weather was still above seasonal on Tuesday, but McMurtry said temperatures would keep falling closer to the weekend, with a morning low in Banff of -19 C and daytime high of -11 C by next Sunday.
“The warmest temperatures are behind us,” he said. “It’s certainly been quite a departure from what we would see on average in the Bow Valley.”
Calgary broke a record on Sunday, hitting 17.2 C. The old record for Jan. 25 was 13.1 C in 2007.
The weather was so unusually warm that the Calgary Zoo had to cancel its daily Penguin Walk on Sunday and Monday.
“Just about every station we have set a record or was close to setting a record on Sunday,” McMurtry said.
