31 December 2008

31 December - Wednesday

High: 0.5
Low: -22.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(18)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (11)
It was a beautiful bright sunny day with lots of blue sky. We got into positive figures today, but it still felt quite cold out of the sun as there was quite a cold wind. It was still much better than what we have had over the last few weeks. Due to the warmer weather, the snow started to melt, which made the roads very slushy which meant constant use of washer fluid and wipers on the windscreen. Headlights get very dirty too. Not getting caught without washer fluid is a way of life here in Southern Alberta!

29 December 2008

30th December - Tuesday

High: -10.5
Low: -18.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(18)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (11)
It was a white sky this morning but the drive to work was good - roads and visibility were clear. However, there were reports of very slushy driving conditions in and around Calgary. It was showing -13 but it didn't feel too cold - no biting wind today.

29th December - Monday

High: -9.0
Low: -18.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(18)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (10)
It was a very cold start to the day with quite a lot of cloud cover. The roads on the drive to work were fairly clear of snow, but it was quite foggy so visibility was poor. It did brighten up and the sun did come out for a while, before clouding over again. It remained very cold all day.

28 December 2008

Hours of Darkness This Week

It started to come light at around 8.10 am and was very light by 8.30. It started to go dark at 4.45 and was very dark by 5.30pm.

27 December 2008

28th December - Sunday

High: -5
Low: -11.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(17)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (9)
It was a white and snowy sky this morning and snow was falling quite heavily. We cleared maybe 3cm-4cm of snow from the drive. The snow is now dry and wispy and is light to push to the sides of the drive and then shovel away. Despite the snowfall, the snow-ploughs and gritters had the main highways looking pretty clear by early to mid afternoon. The white skies and snow gave way to near clear blue skies for a time this afternoon. Then a little fog rolled in as the evening came on. A very mixed day!

27th December - Saturday

High: -1.5
Low: -16.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(16)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (8)
There was a large bright Chinook arch over the mountains this morning. Overnight the temerature was showing -19 but by this morning, it had warmed to -3.9. During the day, we got into low positive numbers and it felt fairly mild. There was a bit of wind from time to time which reminded you it was winter but between times, we were able to leave jackets off, which was nice.

25 December 2008

26th December - Friday

High: -8.5
Low: -22.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(15)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (8)
It was a sunny start to the day with a bright blue and almost cloudless sky. The day remained bright and sunny but felt really quite cold with a wind nipping at face and hands.

24 December 2008

25th December - Thursday - Christmas Day

High: -8.0
Low: -17.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(15)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (8)
It's been a very pleasant Christmas Day. Despite not getting above about -13, the wind was slight to non existant and the sun had a number of spells where it broke through the clouds making it feel perfectly comfortable while out and about in a sensible number of layers and with a hat and gloves.

24th December - Wednesday

High: -5.5
Low: -20.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(15)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (8)
The day started overcast, with a sunny Chinook Arch over the mountains. It felt quite mild at around -10, but the wind did pick up and it felt much colder by mid afternoon.

23 December 2008

23rd December - Tuesday

High: -18.0
Low: -22.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(15)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (8)
The sky was bright, blue and sunny. With the sun shining, it felt much warmer than it had in past days.

22 December 2008

22nd December - Monday

High: -18.0
Low: -22.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(15)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (8)
The sky started white and cloudy but the cloud did clear by around noon. It was bitterly cold agian.

It had snowed overnight so we had to clear the driveway this morning.

21 December 2008

Hours of Darkness This Week

It started to come light at around 8.10 am and was very light by 8.30. It has been a fairly cloudy week so it is possible that has had some impact on how dark it felt. It started to go dark at 4.30 and was very dark by 5.00pm.

21st December - Sunday

High: -19.0
Low: -30.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(14)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (7)
The sky started quite blue and bright, but looked to be about 80% cloud by noon. It was bitterly cold agian. There feels like there is quite a wind chill this afternoon, making it feel much colder than the -22 showing on our thermometer.

The coldest temperature last December (2007) was -22.3, so this last few weeks has felt really quite extreme.

20 December 2008

20th December - Saturday

High: -23
Low: -32
Rain:(3)
Snow:(13)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (6)
It was another bitterly cold day but it was bright blue sky and sunny. Thermals, lots of layers, hat, scarf, coat and gloves definitely needed.

We went for a five minute walk in the morning and I had ice drops on my eyelashes and fringe.

19 December 2008

19th December - Friday

High: -23.0
Low: -25.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(13)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (6)
It was another bitterly cold day (showing -23 on the drive to work), with a predicted wind chill of -36. It was snowing very lightly early morning and it was another white sky. The sky was still white at around noon and it was extremely cold. Thermals, lots of layers, hat, coat and gloves definitely needed. The sun did come out in the afternoon.

Weather reports were saying that exluding the heavy snow fall we had in March/April we have already had more snow this winter than we had last winter. It certainly feels it.

18 December 2008

18th December - Thursday

High: -20.0
Low: -22.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(12)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (6)
It was another very cold day (showing -20 on the drive to work), with a wind chill making it feel even colder. It had been snowing and was snowing a little this morning, the sky was very white.

17 December 2008

17th December - Wednesday

High: -9.5
Low:-18.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(11)
Days we didn't see any sun: (7)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (5)
A cold and misty start to the day. It was snowing early morning and looked as though it had been snowing through the night. There was a good 4inches of snow on the driveway. Although it was only around -11, it felt very cold with a biting wind chill.

16 December 2008

16th December - Tuesday

High: -7.5
Low: -27.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(10)
Days we didn't see any sun: (7)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (4)
It felt a much warmer than it has been, but still cold. Snow had fallen overnight/early morning and was still falling on the drive to work, covering the ice on the roads. The sky was white, and visibility was poor, and reduced to zero when overtaken by a large truck or lorry (which would throw up a cloud of powdery snow). There were reports of many accidents, so care and attention was needed on the roads. The cloud had cleared and the sun was shining by around 3pm.

15 December 2008

15th December - Monday

High: -10.0
Low: -33.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(9)
Days we didn't see any sun: (7)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (4)
Leaving the house this morning, the thermometer was showing -32. The advice is to take extra care on the roads and to dress appropriately (in layers with a warm coat, gloves, hat and scarf). We also put warm blankets in our cars. The sky was bright, blue and cloudless and the sun shone brightly for most of the day.

WINTER STORM WARNING: Wind Chill Warning for City of Calgary
This is a warning that extreme wind chill conditions are imminent or occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions. Listen for updated statements.

Temperatures near -30 and brisk northwesterly winds will result in extreme wind chills between -40 and -45 in these regions of southeastern Alberta this morning. As temperatures rise wind chills will diminish but remain near -35 this afternoon.


WEATHER STATEMENT ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA
A bitterly cold airmass over Alberta produced record breaking
Cold temperatures overnight Sunday into Monday across the southern
province and the Mountain Parks.
(Click on picture to make it bigger & easier to read)



14 December 2008

Hours of Darkness This Week

It started to come light at around 8am and was very light by 8.15
It started to go dark at 4.30 and was very dark by 5.00pm

14th December - Sunday

High: -25.0
Low: -30.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(8)
Days we didn't see any sun: (7)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (4)
It was a very cold day today although the sky was blue and fairly cloudless. Another weather warning was issued last night as they were expecting the wind chill to make it feel like -40, which could be dangerous if not properly geared up for it.

13 December 2008

13th December - Saturday

High: -21.5
Low: -25.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(8)
Days we didn't see any sun: (7)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (4)
The sky started out white but it did brighten up by around mid-day. The sun tried to come out, but didn't quite make it through the cloud. It was very, very cold (showing -20 on our thermometer). We took 20 mins to clear the snow off the drive. Doing this activity whilst wrapped up warm was fine, but you wouldn't really want to spend too long outside.

12 December 2008

12th December - Friday

One lane cleared on Highway:
High: -2.5
Low: -8.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(7)
Days we didn't see any sun: (6)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (3)
It was a mild start to the day, with no wind and a bright sky. However, we have the following weather warning being issued so despite the pleasant start, it looks like we could be in for a bit of a battering over the next few days. It had cooled down a lot by lunchtime and the snow started to fall by around 1.30pm.

WINTER STORM WARNING: Okotoks, High River, Claresholm - FRIDAY 12 DECEMBER 2008
10 TO 15 CM of snow with blowing snow today and tonight. Dangerous winter weather conditions are imminent or occurring. Monitor weather conditions.

An intense low pressure system over Southern BC this morning will move South Eastward through Montana tonight. An area of snow associated with the system is developing in the Northern Foothills this morning and will spread into Southern Alberta this afternoon and evening. 10 TO 15 cm of snow is forecast across the regions by Saturday afternoon with up to 20cm over higher elevations. In addition, a cold front across Northern Alberta this morning will drop Southward through Alberta today. Behind the cold front strong Northerly winds of 40 to 60 KM/H will draw cold arctic air across the province and drop daytime highs into the -20’s for the weekend. These strong winds combined with fresh snow will produce poor visibilities with blowing snow especially in South Eastern Alberta. Winds gusting to 80 KM/H may reduce visibilities to near zero at times. As the temperature plummets and winds persist on Saturday, wind chill values of -35 to -40 can be expected.

11 December 2008

11th December - Thursday

High: 1.5
Low: -10.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(6)
Days we didn't see any sun: (5)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (2)
It was a bright start to the day with lots of blue sky and very little cloud. There was no wind and it didn't feel too cold. It was sunny and still all day and not too cold. It started to get very cold by early evening.

10 December 2008

10th December - Wednesday

High: 1.5
Low: -4.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(6)
Days we didn't see any sun: (5)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (2)
It was a bright and fairly mild start to the day. There was a fair amount of cloud but blue sky was breaking through by around 9am and we saw some sunshine in the afternoon. It went quite cold early evening and overnight.

09 December 2008

9th December - Tuesday

High: 3.0
Low: -8.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(6)
Days we didn't see any sun: (5)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (2)
It was a foggy start to the day which was starting to lift by around 8.45am. The secondary roads were still snowy but the highway was now completely clear. There was a biting wind which made it feel really quite cold. It did brighten up in the afternoon and we saw some bright sky and sunshine.

08 December 2008

8th December - Monday

High: -3.5
Low: -6.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(6)
Days we didn't see any sun: (5)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (2)
The sky was white again this morning but it didn't feel too cold. It was very still with no wind. The journey to work was a bit slow as the snow ploughs and gritters hadn't got to secondary routes yet. The highway was in reasonable condition and driving with caution there were no problems. It started to feel a lot colder by lunchtime and we saw virtually no sun today. It had started to go foggy over night.

Hours of Darkness This Week

It started to come light at around 07.50 and was very light by 8.10am. It started to go go dark at 4.30pm and was very dark by around 5.00pm.

07 December 2008

7th December - Sunday

High:2.0
Low: -2.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(6)
Days we didn't see any sun: (4)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (1)
The sky was white this morning and it started to snow at around 9am and continued throughout the day. It didn't feel too cold, but we didn't see any sun today. The roads were quite slippery and some of the main routes weren't cleared and gritted until early afternoon. More photos will be on our main blog: Jan & Eam News

6th December - Saturday

High: 5.5
Low: -1.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(5)
Days we didn't see any sun: (3)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (0)
It was a foggy start to the day, but that soon lifted and was gone by around 8.15am. It was a bright, sunny and warm day, although a little cool out of the sun. The lake is really beginning to freeze now and the ice is appearing quite thick.

05 December 2008

5th December - Friday

High: 7.0
Low: -7.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(5)
Days we didn't see any sun: (3)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (0)
It seemed to have warmed up over night and it was a very mild start to the day. It was fairly cloudy but blue sky was coming through by mid morning. It was a pleasant, sunny and mild afternoon. It started to go foggy overnight.

04 December 2008

4th December - Thursday

High: 7.0
Low: -19.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(5)
Days we didn't see any sun: (3)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (0)
A frosty start to the day. The sky was bright and blue with very little cloud. The temperature was showing -18 on the drive to work. It was a very cold day. It was OK to nip between car and office and car and shop, but if you had to spend more than a few minutes outside you would need several layers, hat, gloves and scarf. It did cloud over in the afternoon and seemed to warm up slightly going into the evening.

03 December 2008

3rd December - Wednesday

High: -5.5
Low: -11.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(5)
Days we didn't see any sun: (3)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (0)
There was a nice red sky this morning (pic taken at around 8.10am). It was a very cold day. The car temperature guage was showing -7 fairly consistently for the whole day, but with the wind chill it felt more like -15. Some of the roads that weren't gritted after Mondays snowfall and parking lots were a little slippery where the snow had frozen over night. There was a bit of blue sky and sunshine in the afternoon.

02 December 2008

2nd December - Tuesday

High: -2.5
Low: -6.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(5)
Days we didn't see any sun: (3)
The sky was white this morning with no sun which made it quite a dark start to the day. This picuture, which shows snow covering the ice on the lake, was taken at 8am. There wasn't a great deal of snow on the roads and most of the main routes had been gritted. The cold wind and no sun made it feel very cold this morning. The cloud did break and the sun did shine in the afternoon, but it remained very cold.

01 December 2008

1st December - Monday

High: 14.0
Low: -0.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(5)
Days we didn't see any sun: (3)
It was a fairly cloudy start to the day, but not cold. By noon the cloud had cleared and the sun was shining, the wind had picked up a bit, but it still didn't feel cold. We went out in a t-shirt and jumper and were just fine. Once the sun had gone down, the temperature dropped quickly and the wind became much stronger and it began to feel really quite cold. The forecast said freezing rain and snow overnight and it had begun to snow by early evening.