Warm temperatures may have had residents sweltering in the sun Monday and Tuesday, but a shift in weather patterns will have rain cooling off the region by Wednesday.
On Tuesday, St. Albert reached a high of 28 C, much higher than the typical 22 C that is normal for this time of year. The warm spell followed a week of storms and sometimes torrential rains.
Blaine Lowry, weather preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said while it is warmer than the average June day, the region is not setting any heat records right now. The highest temperature recorded in Edmonton was in 1936 with the mercury hitting 33.3 C.
Lowry said it has been warm for the past few days because of a upper ridge in place.
“It basically allows for more stable conditions and warmer air to come in from the south,” Lowry said.
“We're actually going to see that regime break down over the next 24 hours or so with some thunderstorms and showers in the forecast for overnight tonight and into tomorrow,” Lowry said on Tuesday afternoon.
For the next seven days, Lowry said the weather will be a bit cooler with showers and some thunderstorms.
Lowry reminded residents to be extra vigilant around thunderstorms, as it is lightning safety week.
“A lot of people, people in the province and media as well, tend to focus on tornadoes a lot in Alberta – but lightning actually kills more people in the province per year than tornadoes, so lightning is perhaps an underrated threat that people need to be aware of,” Lowry said.
“Tornadoes are fairly rare and so they tend to capture the imagination, whereas lightning is a fairly common occurrence so people don't really give it a second thought."
The meteorologist said if residents can hear thunder, they should move inside for safety to avoid any lightning strikes.
On Wednesday, the high is predicted to be 20 C with showers and a low of 11 C. On Thursday, the sun will come out again for a high of 24 C and a low of 12 C. On Friday, the day will start off sunny with a high of 21C but there will be a nighttimes low of 12 C and periods of rain. Rain will continue through the weekend and into Monday.
Jennifer Henderson covers Alberta matters under the Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the Government of Canada.
