Edmonton breaks 106-year-old heat record Monday; 29 Alberta records smashed

EDMONTON — On this day in 2014, it felt more like December than April. Fast forward to 2016 and it felt more like July as 29 temperature records were broken across the province.

On Monday, Edmonton hit 26.2°C at 6 p.m., officially breaking a 106-year-old record from 1910 when the city hit 25°C.

On April 18, 2014, a spring snowstorm blasted the Edmonton region with more than five centimetres of snow. Being Good Friday, the weather forced organizers of Edmonton’s annual Way of the Cross to cut the route short for the first time in 34 years.

READ MORE: Blast of spring snow blankets Edmonton

City crews were diverted from spring clean up to snow clearing, police responded to a number of collisions and at one point, highways around Alberta were at a standstill. That’s a sharp contrast to the weather in Edmonton on Monday.

Normally the average daytime temperature in Edmonton in mid-April is around 13°C.

As of 6 p.m. Monday, several other temperature records were broken across Alberta:

• Athabasca: 25.4°C, beats 23.3°C record set in 2010
• Barrhead: 27.3°C, beats old record of 23.5°C set in 2010
• Beaver Lodge: 29.5°C, beats old record of 22.2°C set in 1926
• Breton: 24.6°C, beats old record of 20.0°C set in 1999
• Camrose: 23.6°C, beats old record of 21.7°C set in 1926
• Cold Lake: 23.2°C, beats old record of 22.3°C set in 1983
• Crowsnest: 22.9°C, beats old record of 19.2°C set in 1999
• Edmonton Intl. Airport: 26.3°C, beats old record of 23.3°C set in 2010
• Edson: 27.7°C, beats old record of 25.0°C set in 1934
• Elk Island National Park: 23.9°C, beats old record of 22.0°C set in 2010
• Fort McMurray: 27.2°C, beats old record of 23.3°C set in 1943
• Grande Prairie: 29.4°C, beats old record of 24.4°C set in 1936
• Hendrickson Creek: 23°C, beats old record of 16.0°C set in 2010
• High Level: 21.9°C, beats old record of 20.3°C set in 1998
• Jasper: 26.3°C, beats old record of 20.0°C set in 1923
• Lac La Biche: 25.4°C, beats old record of 22.9°C set in 2010
• Mildred Lake: 27.6°C, beats old record of 21.9°C set in 2010
• Nordegg: 24.0°C, beats old record of 20.6°C set in 1926
• Peace River: 28.4°C, beats old record of 24.4°C set in 1913
• Red Deer: 24.8°C, beats old record of 24.4°C set in 1910
• Red Earth Creek: 28.8°C, beats old record of 23.9°C set in 2010
• Slave Lake: 27.7°C, beats old record of 23.6°C set in 2010
• Stony Plain: 25.5°C, beats old record of 22.4°C set in 2010
• Sundre: 25.0°C, beats old record of 23.9°C set in 1936
• Vegreville: 24.9°C, beats old record of 23.0°C set in 2010
• Waterton Park Gate: 21.0°C, beats old record of 19.3°C set in 1999
• Wetaskiwin: 25.0°C, beats old record of 23.3°C set in 1926
• Whitecourt: 27.5°C, beats old record of 20.9°C set in 2010

While the weather may be perfect for hanging out on a patio, it’s also creating prime wildfire conditions across Alberta.

READ MORE: Fire bans in place across Alberta as province braces for wildfire season

Less snow over the winter, coupled with little to no spring rain and warmer temperatures, has resulted in 33 Alberta regions dozens of fire advisories, restrictions and full-fledged fire bans.

There were 37 wildfires burning in Alberta – five were listed as out of control – as of 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Visit the government of Alberta’s website for the very latest information on the wildfire status across Alberta and the current fire ban situation.

READ MORE: Areas north of Edmonton placed under fire restriction as dry conditions continue across Alberta

A fire restriction was issued in Sturgeon County, while an air quality alert was issued for Parkland County Monday morning because of a brush fire burning west of Edmonton. The air quality alert was later dropped.

As of April 15, Edmonton had received just 10 per cent of the average rainfall total for the month. So far this year, Edmonton has seen just 44 per cent of the average precipitation total, according to Global Edmonton meteorologist Jesse Beyer.

It’s also been unseasonably warm in the Capital Region; this April is the warmest April Edmonton has experienced in 40 years. With an average temperature of 15C so far this month, the last time Edmonton saw the same average temperature in April was in 1976.

READ MORE: ‘I could feel the heat impinging on my shoulders’: St. Albert firefighter jumps into river to escape flames of grass fire

With files from Caley Ramsay, Global News.

Editor’s Note: This story was first published on Monday morning, and updated on Tuesday with official Environment Canada numbers.