Major plummet brings Alberta's coldest Thanksgiving in nearly a decade
A massive drop in temperatures has occurred over the past 24 hours, and will result in Calgary and portions of Alberta to experience the coldest Thanksgiving Monday in nearly a decade.
Alberta was first in line to experience a major cooldown this weekend as the cold front moved through the province, allowing for snow to fall, including in Calgary.
It was all part of a setup that is bringing a cooldown, snow, rain, gusty winds and even some thunderstorms for parts of the Prairies this weekend.
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Alberta's cooldown means a chilly Thanksgiving on Sunday, so make sure to add extra layers if going outside for a walk or if you are travelling anywhere. Make sure to leave extra time, too, if your location saw any snowfall from Saturday night.
Coldest Thanksgiving since 2016
The temperature drop was so extreme that the provincial hot spot on Saturday (Medicine Hat: 24.4°C) recorded snowfall just 13 hours after recording the daytime high.
It's been a while since Alberta has experienced a cold Thanksgiving like the one expected this year. In fact, it will be the chilliest since 2016.
Oct. 12, 2009 (-5.1°C)
In fact, that year, the temperature fell to -21.6°C in Banff, Alta., pushing temperatures to more than 18 degrees below seasonal for the date.
Oct. 10, 2016 (-0.2°C)
Meanwhile, the last few years have been quite the polar opposite in nature, with three consecutive Thanksgiving Mondays sitting all well above seasonal––but that is about to change.
Calgary: Oct. 10, 2022 (22.3°C)
Temperatures even reached the mid-20s in 2022, with Medicine Hat soaring to 25.7°C.
Calgary: Oct. 9, 2023 (25.2°C)
Medicine Hat hit a whopping 28.4°C in 2023.
Calgary: Oct. 14, 2024 (23.6°C)
Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on conditions across the Prairies.