WATCH: While residents will likely welcome warmer temperatures, they might make snow removal efforts more difficult. Weather specialist Margeaux Morin reports.
EDMONTON — This is shaping up to be one of the warmest December weeks in Edmonton in almost 10 years.
With daily forecast highs of 6 degrees Celsius in the Capital Region through Thursday, the only warmer set of days from the past decade was in 2005 when temperatures from Dec. 9 to 11 ranged from 8.6 degrees to 12.1 degrees.
“When the jet stream pushes to the far north over Alberta, warm air floods in from the south,” explains Nicola Crosbie, Global Edmonton’s chief meteorologist. “Even though we don’t have a lot of sunshine at this time of the year, it’s the southerly wind that plays a larger role in our temperatures.”
Temperatures will be unseasonably warm across the province, though they will likely remain well below record highs.
The record daytime high for Dec. 9 in Edmonton was made in both 1890 and 1913, when thermometers reached 10.6 degrees. On Dec. 10, 1913, the mercury hit 15.6 degrees.
While the balmy conditions are welcome, motorists will need to be cautious. Slushy conditions will make a mess of city streets and windshield washer fluid will be a must-have. A trip to the car wash may also be in vain until after the weekend, when temperatures settle back below the freezing mark. Seasonal average daytime highs for this time of year are -6 degrees.
“We should return to near-average temperatures by the weekend,” says Crosbie.
Speaking of extremes, on Dec. 9, 1977, weather stations at the Edmonton International Airport and in Red Deer recorded temperatures at a bone-chilling -44.2 degrees. Near the East Gate entrance to Jasper National Park and in Edson that day, it was -45 degrees.
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