The February forecast for Alberta is out and we're in for such a weather treat
Some nice temperatures are on the way for Alberta soon, and it’s sounding like the forecast for February is hinting that we may be in for a treat.
The mention of February weather can send a shiver down many Albertans’ spines, with the thought of polar vortex events gripping the province.
Speaking with Daily Hive, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) warning preparedness meteorologist Natalie Hasell dished on what Albertans may expect for February weather.
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Hasell says current models up for grabs ran from Jan. 26 to Feb. 23, and revealed that there was a dominant trend in northern Alberta, meaning February could either be above-normal or below-normal in temperature.
A signal for warmer-than-normal temperatures was present for central and southern Alberta, which is good news for folks in major city centres like Edmonton, Red Deer, and Calgary.
When it came to precipitation, southern Alberta is the area that doesn’t have a dominant trend, while central and northern Alberta hinted at above-normal precipitation during the Jan. 26 to Feb. 23 time frame.
While the long-term trends are eyeing up the potential for a wet February for over half of the province, Hasell cautioned how tricky precipitation can be to nail down in a long-range forecast.
“These long-term forecasts, we’re giving a forecast of an average of a trend over a period of time that’s kind of long. How one week will differ from the other, that’s not always clear in these forecasts.”
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Considering the huge variability seen in the weather over the last while, Hasell added that she is not so convinced that La Niña has been that influential this year for winter weather in Alberta.
“Normally, if you had a strong La Niña or a strong El Niño, depending on that pattern, in terms of where the jet stream sets itself up, it would repeat more often here. We’ve seen a scenario where a low over Quebec has certainly been a repeated thing, and we’ve had a few cold spells across the Prairies this season, but considering how much variability there’s been in Alberta in particular, I’m not sure La Niña is playing that big of a role.”
As for how long the above-normal and normal temperatures may last, Hasell mentioned that there is a small possibility that by the third week of February, around the 16th to the 23rd of February, temperatures may start cooling off again; however, that’s really as far as forecasts go, with confidence not so strong on that potential.
So, there you have it.
We’ll take as many nice days in February as we can get, because spring is just around the corner once we get through it.
If you’re on the hunt for things to do next month, we rounded up 17 great things to do in Edmonton and 24 wonderful things to do in Calgary in February.