Calgary’s No-Show Snowstorms This Winter When Will One Finally Arrive
Calgary has seen little snow this winter, raising questions about when a significant storm will finally hit the city
Calgary, Canada, Snowstorms, Winter Weather, Meteorology
Calgary: So, Calgary had a pretty snowy end to fall with a storm dropping over 20 cm of snow back on November 23, 2024. But since winter officially kicked in, the airport hasn’t seen more than three cm of snow in a single day. It’s got folks wondering how long this snow drought will last.
As of January 14, that November storm accounted for half of the city’s snowfall this season. By January 1, the total snowfall was right on average, according to Kevin MacKay from The Weather Network. But here’s the kicker: the biggest snowfalls in Calgary’s history mostly happened outside of winter.
It’s been a strangely quiet winter at Calgary International Airport, with only six cm of snow in December and just 2.2 cm in early January. That’s way below the usual amounts for those months, which are around 16 cm each. By now, we’d typically expect at least one day with over 5 cm, if not 10 cm. So, what’s going on?
Recent weather patterns have favored the northern parts of Alberta, leaving the south a bit dry. Plus, the snowiest months usually fall in the shoulder seasons, like March to April and October to November. While there might be a few flurries coming up, a big snowstorm isn’t in the forecast for the next week or so. Instead, we’re looking at some seriously cold Arctic air moving in, with temperatures dropping into the -20s and even colder wind chills.
With files from Kevin MacKay, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.