The Calgary Stampede has had to deal with a major rain storm, some pesky air quality due to smoke from wildfires, and a funnel cloud watch. Still, close to a million people have turned up.
As of Friday morning, the official attendance at the Calgary Stampede was 978,421. This means that by the time you read this, there is a very good chance the millionth person will have entered the Stampede grounds for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
The Stampede started with a bang — and not in a good way. On “Sneak-a-Peek” day, a huge storm brought hail and caused flash flooding across the city.
But the next day, the Stampede set a record for the most people on the first official day of the event.
There was a warning that another storm could hit, but that one seemed to pass with minimal damage. Then we were hit with a heat warning forcing people to alter their Stampede plans in order to stay safe and cool.
And earlier this week, there was a warning that a storm could produce a funnel cloud in Calgary and an air quality warning due to wildfire smoke.
And through it all, nearly one million people have checked out all the great concerts, food, and parties across the Stampede grounds.
Given the week we’ve had so far, it’s no surprise that the air quality is still bad, and there is still a statement for Calgary. On top of that, there is a 30% chance of a thunderstorm today and tomorrow.