Deep freeze to devastating hail: Calgary weather in 2020

Posted Dec 24, 2020 5:45 am.

Last Updated Dec 10, 2020 1:25 pm.

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Wild weather and record-breaking temperatures were some of the non-pandemic related stories of 2020, as Calgarians tried to stay warm during a January deep freeze, dealt with a storm-filled summer and basked in a mild November.

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JANUARY DEEP FREEZE

Temperatures plunged in January as the province felt its first deep freeze of 2020.

Don’t follow Star Wars closely but for some reason, The Imperial March seems rather fitting today.

????#yyc pic.twitter.com/j8vSUQ0tfz

— Sandra Prusina (@sprusina) January 14, 2020

Arctic air moved in, freezing the province and for Calgary, the coldest recorded high that week was on January 14 with a high of just -28.4 and our warmest high at -18.1.

In southern Alberta, the lowest recorded temperatures were between -35 C and -30 C, while most of the province north of Calgary experienced -38 C or lower. By Jan. 20, the cold spell was over, and a chinook brought our temperatures back into high single digits, and we did end January on a positive note.

DEVASTATING JUNE HAIL STORM

A cloud larger than Mount Everest spun over Calgary on June 13.

Whoa ⚡️. Haven’t had a wild night of storms like this in ages. Stay safe, everyone. pic.twitter.com/Oby9b7B11O

— Sandra Prusina (@sprusina) June 14, 2020

The hailstorm that hit Calgary that day cost at least $1.5 billion in insured damages, making it the fourth costliest natural disaster in Canada’s history. Airdrie and Rocky View County were hit hard, but in northeast Calgary, hundreds of homes and cars were severely damaged, with siding ripped from homes and car windows smashed by hail the size of baseballs.

Rain also flooded parts of Deerfoot Trail, and emergency crews needed to use their rescue boat to help trapped drivers.

For northeast residents, fewer than half of the 70,000 insurance claims have been resolved to date.

TORNADO WARNINGS

Alberta typically sees 15 tornadoes per year, with the peak season starting mid-to-late June and ending early-to-mid August.

From 2 to 3:30 pm the severe thunderstorm that prompted the tornado warning bisected Calgary, moving west to east through the northern half of the city. See the radar map below.
Severe weather is still possible today. Stay weather aware! #abstorm #yycwx pic.twitter.com/Vqt1QMuvg0

— ECCC Weather Alberta (@ECCCWeatherAB) July 23, 2020

Tornado season was busy this year in Alberta, recording nine tornados by July and confirming three more in August. Calgary heard two tornado warnings over the summer months, but none touched down within city limits.

The 2020 count stands at 12 tornadoes, with most of them being rated an EF0 — the weakest on the scale.

The busiest season was in 1988 when there were 26 confirmed tornadoes.

MILD NOVEMBER

We started off November on a warm streak and record-breaking high temperatures.

Whoa! ☀️ pic.twitter.com/AvokcZIpl6

— Sandra Prusina (@sprusina) November 2, 2020

The city of Calgary saw a high of 23.1 on Nov. 2, which not only broke a November temperature record but also topped the previous record that dated back to 1881. That daytime high is now the city’s warmest November temperature in history.

The average temperature for November this year was 6 degrees. Eighteen of the days were above seasonal and only one November day had seasonal average highs.

???? We're tracking the development of a very strong upper ridge for the middle of next week. This could lead to temperatures well above normal across western Canada to start December. ????

1st image: Upper ridge and anomaly
2nd image: Surface temperature anomaly #abstorm pic.twitter.com/DnKDYzTxUH

— ECCC Weather Alberta (@ECCCWeatherAB) November 25, 2020