Warm November weather causing seasonal confusion for Edmonton plants and animals

This has been the warmest start to November Edmonton’s seen in nearly 70 years.

The warm weather broke records across Alberta on Tuesday. Edmonton hit a high of 19.5°C, breaking the previous 1929 record of 17.8C. These double digit temperatures have been continuing throughout the week.

READ MORE: Edmonton shatters 87-year-old heat record for Nov. 8 

When it comes to Nov. 10, Edmonton has seen a huge range in temperatures over the years.

“Our record low for today is -30ish and the record high is nearly plus 17 degrees,” Global Edmonton’s chief meteorologist Jesse Beyer said. “This is the time of year when we have BIG temperature differences between continental and maritime air.”

Winter seemed to be nearing after the mid-October snowfall but spring-like temperatures have returned.

The average temperature this time of year is 1C and we’re sitting at around 12C.

The sudden weather change seems to be confusing for Edmonton wildlife. Plants are blooming and blossoming, and animals are trying to adjust to the new season.

Edmontonians are welcoming the warm weather by gardening in their backyards.

“I remember one year we were still picking beans in October but nothing ever in November,” Katarina Markovic said. “This November is actually unreal.

“Those roses should have been dead long ago but it seems they just came back to life,” she added.

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Not all of Edmonton residents are happy with the temperature change, though.

“All the leaves came down again,” Terry Pronchuk said. “If there was snow on the ground, I wouldn’t have to rake it. When you do it three times, it gets a little tough on the old body. I waited and thought: ‘okay maybe I should wait a little longer,’ but after two days I raked it, and that was my second time,” he said.

Perry Stothart from Classic Landscape Centre says backyards need some extra care from the recent fluctuation in temperatures.

READ MORE: Calgary breaks 93-year-old heat record for Nov. 8

“When we do get higher temperatures you’re going to get some transpiration and plants will dry out if you haven’t been watering them. We haven’t gotten a lot of moisture since the snowfall about a month ago so it’s going to be important we water those plants giving them a nice start to the winter season,” Stothart said.

The double digit temperatures are expected to continue into the weekend but “all good things come to an end,” Beyer said. “We can’t ride this warm streak forever.”