Not a speck of snow could be seen in Lethbridge on Monday, as residents enjoyed a daytime high of around eleven degrees ahead of the start of December.
“Came out to do some kayaking,” said Fred Gravel at Henderson Lake. “The wind was still. The lake is beautiful. (Had to) get out!”
According to meteorologist Kyle Fougere with Environment and Climate Change Canada, the months of September, October and November saw higher-than-average temperatures.
“This fall ended up with a mean temperature of eight-point-one degrees compared to six (degrees) on average, so it’s the sixteenth warmest fall that’s ever been recorded in the Lethbridge area,” he said.
“There were only really two weeks that were below normal (in October).”
Alongside warmer temperatures, there was also a lack of precipitation.
“In November there were only 13 millimetres recorded compared to 18 on average,” he added.
Fougere said these conditions are in line with climate trends and can be attributed to a lack of weather activity in the region.
“There have been storms, especially over the last week or two, it’s been quite active in Alberta, but the storms are all moving across the northern part of the province,” he explained. “The Lethbridge area has been experiencing mild weather with daily highs in the double digits.
“There haven’t been a lot of times that the cold front has swept all the way down to the Lethbridge area.”
For longtime local birder Ken Orich, the mild conditions have brought about one notable change.
“Usually by early November the lakes are frozen, the small ponds are frozen and that sort of stuff,” Orich said.
“As a result, I think quite a few of the waterfowl have delayed their migration a bit longer — like they’re still hanging around here.”
By the end of the week, Fougere expects more seasonal temperatures in the area, accompanied by wind.
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