"Extremely hazardous": Areas around Calgary could see wind chills below -50°C
It’s no secret to anyone living in Calgary right now that temperatures have been plunging since January rolled around, but record-low cold weather that hasn’t been seen in the city in decades is expected this week.
Alysa Pederson with Environment and Climate Change Canada tells Daily Hive that “extremely hazardous” weather is on the way. Some wind chill forecasts around Airdrie, Olds, and Sundre are hovering around -50°C this weekend, according to the ECCC.
“When we’re talking about temperatures like this, anybody who is outside needs to dress in layers, make sure they have a place to go, and warm up very frequently. Cover all skin if possible,” says Pederson.
If you’re hitting the highway, it’s also important to be prepared with warm jackets, blankets, boosters, and an emergency kit because, as Pederson says, “it is not a good time to get stranded.”
She also added that the cold will affect some people more than others due to the wind chill.
“Wind chill is essentially talking about the feel of the air on exposed skin. So a 50°C wind chill doesn’t totally matter if you’re bundled up but would matter for your cheeks if they’re still exposed.”
Calgary will also see some incredibly low temperatures, with lows not accounting for the wind chill hitting -39°C on Friday night and -32°C during the day. These temperatures would break a 55-year record for the coldest high the city has seen since December 28, 1968. The high that day was a freezing -33.9°C.
Environment and Climate Change Canada
It’s been a couple of months of strange weather for the province, with Edmonton experiencing its first no-snow November on record and Calgary having its warmest December in 140 years.
Many have been waiting for some more true-to-the-season weather since the lack of snow could spell drought for the city in the warmer months.
“The cold isn’t going to do anything for that; what we need is precipitation. We need more snow to fall in the mountains upstream in some of those southern Alberta rivers, and we need more rain in May and June, which is typically the wetter months of the year,” says Pederson.
And while rain is expected in the spring following an El Niño year, Calgary forecasts below-normal precipitation this winter in January and February.
Animal shelters have also been calling for help from the public during the cold snap, with urgent fosters needed to keep homeless animals from dying in the cold weather.
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