CALGARY – The warm, dry weather in Calgary means residents are soaking up the sun outdoors, but some have been doing activities emergency officials say they shouldn’t be doing.
Fire and Emergency Services were called on the weekend after people were spotted walking on the Bow River and the Glenmore Reservoir, where ice is not necessarily safe to withstand the weight of people.
Officials say ice along the river banks and on lakes like the reservoir is very unstable.
“With this warm weather that we’re having, there’s no way of predicting the thickness of the ice,” said Calgary Fire Department spokesperson Carole Henke. “Especially on moving water like we have here on the Bow River and the Elbow River, there’s just no knowing and it can fluctuate, so it’ll be too late once you step on the ice and break through.”
The dry winter and lack of snow also means fire hazards in southern Alberta: A large grass fire burned about a thousand acres on the Blood Reserve southwest of Lethbridge on Saturday. Investigators say it was caused by a discarded cigarette, and urged people to butt out cigarettes and dispose of them safely. Fire bans are in effect for Lethbridge and Lethbridge County.
The dry weather could also have an effect on farming this season, but Alberta Agriculture’s Ralph Wright says it may be too soon to predict the impact.
“Over the past 90 days it’s been dryer than average west of Highway 2 between Calgary and Lethbridge,” he said. “You see conditions like that on average about once in six to 12 years, but in reality as you head east of Highway 2 it’s fairly near normal or just slightly above normal.”
Wright said it’s the warm weather that’s unusual, since it’s been slightly drier than normal but also warmer—making the snow come and go. He says the critical times are in spring and summer seasons: That’s when most rain comes, which sustains the crops.
“There’s an old saying: ‘No one’s ever lost a crop in the winter,’ and it’s a little too early to see what’s going to be in the bin next fall.”
Comments