The Bow Valley Sees Wave of Record Highs, Some Standing for 85 Years

Back-to-back days of record-setting warmth swept across Alberta this past week, with dozens of communities posting new daily high temperature records as an unusual February warm spell pushed readings far above historical norms.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, environment monitoring stations logged more than 20 record highs on Wednesday, Feb. 4 and another 26 on Thursday, Feb. 5 stretching from the foothills through the mountain parks.

Several of those records were set in and around the Bow Valley and neighboring mountain regions, where long-running climate stations reported temperatures more typical of early spring than mid-winter.

• In the Banff area, the temperature reached 11.3 C, breaking the previous daily record of 8.9 C set in 1954.

• The Bow Valley provincial park area climbed even higher, reaching 15.2 C. That surpassed the previous record of 13.9 C set in 1941.

• The Jasper area recorded a new high of 11.8 C, beating the former record of 10 C from 1941.

• In the Nordegg area, temperatures hit 15.8 C, well above the previous record of 11.7 C set in 1954.

Short-term warm spikes are not unusual in Alberta due to chinook patterns and shifting air masses, but the number of broken records across multiple regions in a single warm spell stands out.

Forecasters have noted that rapid warming combined with wind and exposed vegetation can also elevate early-season wildfire risk in parts of southern and central Alberta, especially where snowpack is thin or melting quickly.