Red Deer was roasting in 2023.
This year Red Deerians experienced the city’s sixth warmest year on record, according to preliminary data from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Warning preparedness meteorologist Alysa Pederson said temperatures in other Alberta communities, like Calgary, Edmonton, and Fort McMurray, were even more extreme. They had their warmest years ever.
“This is likely to be the warmest on record for much of Alberta,” Pederson said.
But climbing to sixth place in Red Deer would still be substantial, she added.
When it comes to precipitation, 2023 will likely be the 14th driest year for Red Deer. Complete annual weather statistics for 2023 will be available early next week.
Related:
Red Deer’s November 14th driest in 109 years
So far in December, a total of 60 temperature records have been broken in Alberta — none were broken in Red Deer.
Pederson said 13 records were broken on Dec. 5, 12 records were broken on Dec. 13, and another 13 records were broken on Dec. 22.
The warmest day so far this month in Red Deer was Boxing Day when it reached 8.1 C., and as of last week, it was the city’s fifth warmest December on record.
The normal high for this time of year is -6 C and the normal low is -17.
She said December will usually either stay within normal temperatures, or there will be a deep freeze which happened last year.
Related:
So far this month Red Deer has seen 11.3 mm of precipitation which is close to the normal of 12.3 mm. Most of the precipitation came in the form of rain and snow on Dec. 14 with 8.7 mm.
Pederson said it doesn’t look like the city will see any more precipitation in the next couple of days. But there’s a 60 per cent chance of flurries on Jan. 1.
Late next week temperatures will drop down to about normal, with highs of about -8 to -10 C.
“We’re having a change in the weather pattern where we’re getting a little bit of arctic air slumping into Alberta.”
The forecast calls for sunny days through the weekend with highs of 1 to 4 C and lows of -5 to -6 C.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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