Where's the precipitation? Alberta seeing its driest fall in 140 years
Calgary is on the cusp of its driest fall in more than 140 years. With only 9.6 mm of precipitation from September to November, you will have to go all the way back to 1885 to find less in a fall season.
If you live in Alberta, you may have noticed it's been rather dry over the past two months.
The end of meteorological fall is just a week away, and it’s become apparent just how exceptionally dry the province of Alberta has been.
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Calgary is on the cusp of its driest fall in more than 140 years. With only 9.6 mm of precipitation from September to November, you have to go all the way back to 1885 to find less in a fall season.
Driest fall in more than 140 years
What’s also exceptional is Calgary hasn’t even seen a fall with less than 30 mm of moisture this century. You have to go back to 1999 when less than 25.1 mm was recorded.
It’s not just precipitation, but snowfall running far below normal. November has brought only 3.2 cm so far, compared to a more typical 20 cm for November.
Capital city woes
It’s not just Calgary, either. Edmonton is in the midst of a severe drought, extending towards Red Deer. Just 24.1 mm of precipitation this fall makes it the second-driest on record. The driest occurred in 2023, obtaining just 22.9 mm.
Records at Edmonton airport extend back to 1961. November snow is lagging with just 6.3 cm (19 cm is average).
Most severe drought in the province?
Areas around Grande Prairie and Slave Lake are experiencing severe- to even exceptional-level drought, the highest category on the drought monitor index.
While an incoming bout of snowfall will help, the precipitation deficit will still be quite large.
Behind the incoming system lurks a surge of Arctic air that promises to send temperatures tumbling below the freezing mark for an extended period of time. Very cold conditions are likely by the end of next week into the following weekend.
With files from Tyler Hamilton, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.
Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on conditions across the region.