31st January 2009 - Saturday

High: 0.5
Low: -8
Rain:(3)
Snow:(26)
Days we didn't see any sun: (12)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (15)
The wind picked up again overnight and was really quite stong. It also started to snow in the early hours of the morning. However, by around 9am, it was bright and sunny with a few white clouds. We were into positive temperatures by noon and without the wind, it felt really quite pleasant. It got really quite cold out of the sun though.

30th January 2009 - Friday

High: 7.5
Low: 0.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(25)
Days we didn't see any sun: (12)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (15)
It was quite a dark and cloudy start to the day. There was a large Chinook arch over the mountains, and it certainly felt a lot warmer this morning. It was another very windy day today and the following warning was issued:

Wind warning for: Okotoks - High River - Claresholm

Strong west winds easing this evening along the southern foothills. Strong northwest winds developing after midnight over the Cypress Hills.

Strong westerly winds will continue today in southwestern Alberta. Sustained winds of 60 to 70 km/h with gusts as high as 110 km/h are expected at times today. Winds will diminish this evening after a rapidly moving cold front pushes southeast through the regions. Following the passage of this cold front strong northwest winds will develop over the Cypress Hills.

29th January 2009 - Thursday

High: -9
Low: -11
Rain:(3)
Snow:(25)
Days we didn't see any sun: (12)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (15)
It was a bright and sunny start to the day today with blue sky and some white cloud. There was no wind but it still felt quite cool in the morning, but by lunchtime it had really wamed up and it was a lovely afternoon.

28th January 2009 - Wednesday

High: 2.0
Low: -5.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(25)
Days we didn't see any sun: (12)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (15)
It was a cloudy and windy start, but not as windy as yesterday. The cloud was clearing by around 9am. It didn't feel quite so cold today.

27th January 2009 - Tuesday

High: 4.0
Low: -18.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(25)
Days we didn't see any sun: (12)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (15)
It was a cloudy and windy start, but quite a bit warmer at -3 this morning. The wind was very strong and caused lots of blowing snow on the highways so caution was needed. It also made it feel quite cold.

This weather warning was issued today:
Wind warning for
Okotoks - High River - Claresholm continued

Wind gusts up to 110 km/h are expected today.

Strong westerly winds of 70 km/h with gusts up to 110 have developed in the Cardston, Crowsnest Pass and Lethbridge regions. The strong winds will continue through this evening.

Over the City of Calgary and Okotoks regions occasional strong west winds of 60 gusting to 90 km/h will develop this morning and continue into early this evening.

26th January 2009 - Monday

High: -4
Low: -24.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(25)
Days we didn't see any sun: (12)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (15)
It was a bright blue sky (no cloud) and sunny today. On the drive to work it was showing -28. It had warmed up by lunchtime and it was quite pleasant in the sun. Still very cold, and really cold again when the sun went down.

Hours of Darkness This Week

It was coming light at around 7.50am and very light by 8.15am
It was going dark at 5.20pm and very dark by 5.45pm

25th January 2009 - Sunday

High: -9
Low: -27.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(25)
Days we didn't see any sun: (12)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (15)
It was a bright and sunny start to the day but still really cold. Another day to wrap up warm.

24th January 2009 - Saturday

High: -20
Low: -29
Rain:(3)
Snow:(25)
Days we didn't see any sun: (12)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (15)
It was a brighter and sunnier start to the day today. It was really cold first thing, at -24. It had warmed up to -17 by noon. It still felt incredibly cold despite the sunshine. Hats, gloves, scarves and thermals definitely needed today.

23rd January 2009 - Friday

High: -21
Low: -25
Rain:(3)
Snow:(25)
Days we didn't see any sun: (12)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (15)
It was a white start to the day, with a bit of bright sky where the sun was coming up. It was really cold at -22 in the morning, but the wind chill was making it feel much colder. There were reports of very slippery conditions on the roads in an around the city, but the drive from Okotoks to High River was totally clear. The sun did come out in the afternoon, but it wasn't enough to warm up the day.

22nd January 2009 - Thursday

High: -7
Low: -17.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(25)
Days we didn't see any sun: (12)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (14)
The wind really picked up overnight and the temperatures started to plummet. It was -9 on the drive to work this morning and still very windy. The sky was white and there was lots of blowing snow. It snowed lightly all day. The sky remained white we saw no sun, it felt really very cold after the recent nice weather we have had.

21st January 2009 - Wednesday

High: 2.5
Low: -8.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(24)
Days we didn't see any sun: (11)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (14)
It another bright and clear start to the day. There was very little cloud around today, no wind and the sun was shining. It was a lovely warm and sunny day.

20th January 2009 - Tuesday

High: 4.5
Low: -5.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(24)
Days we didn't see any sun: (11)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (14)
There was a lovely pink glow over the mountains this morning. It was a beautiful sunny day, with a few white whispy clouds. Again there was no wind and it was another warm and spring like day.

The melting snow, which has been freezing overnight has caused pretty treacherous conditions in places. The footpaths, car parks and some of the side roads are truly like skating rinks.

This picture shows the amazing sky on the drive home.

19th January 2009 - Monday

High: 6.5
Low: -3.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(24)
Days we didn't see any sun: (11)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (14)
It was a beautiful, clear and cloudless sky. It was very sunny with no wind again, so it felt really quite pleasant, even first thing in the morning. Lots of snow has melted over the past few days so there is a lot of water on the roads, meaning that after even the shortest journey cars are filthy!

Hours of Darkness This Week

It was coming light at around 8.05am and very light by 8.20am
It was going dark at 5.15pm and very dark by 5.40pm

18th January 2009 - Sunday

High: 7.0
Low: -1.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(24)
Days we didn't see any sun: (11)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (14)
It was a lovely, bright and sunny start to the day. There were a few whispy white clouds, which didn't last long and was followed by a bright blue sky. There was no wind again today - another beautiful day.

17th January 2009 - Saturday

High: 5.5
Low: -5.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(24)
Days we didn't see any sun: (11)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (14)
It was a lovely, bright cloudless and sunny day with no wind. The temperature at 11.30 was + 5 and by 12.30 it was +12 (in the sun). Another really lovely day.

16th January 2009 - Friday

High: 9.5
Low: -6.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(24)
Days we didn't see any sun: (11)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (14)
It was a fairly cloudy start, but the huge chinook arch over the mountains gave the sky a bright glow. We have had some great sunrises this week too (top photo). It was +3 on the drive to work but it still felt a little cool at 8.20am.
The main roads have been clear of snow for a long while now, but the side roads (which don't get cleared) have been melting and it is leaving very thick deep grooves which the cars struggle with and slide around in. We both have all wheel drive vehicles and they have managed quite well, but we have seen a number of cars stuck in the snow and having to be pushed or pulled out.

The cloud had cleared by around 10am and it was a bright and sunny day.

15th January 2009 - Thursday

High: 3.5
Low: -8.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(24)
Days we didn't see any sun: (11)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (14)
It was a lovely bright, sunny and cloudless start to the day with a beautiful pink glow over the mountains. It was around -9 this morning and did not feel cold. There was no cold wind today either. By mid-day it was well into positive temperatures and the snow was melting, leaving a lot of water on the roads. It felt very warm in the sun, a beautiful day.
Top picture is the same as the one taken on 13th January with much less snow.

14th January 2009 - Wednesday

High: -2.5
Low: -12.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(24)
Days we didn't see any sun: (11)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (14)
It was snowing this morning and the sky was very white. The roads were farily clear on the way to work though. There was a biting wind chill making it feel very cold and the sun didn't really manage to break through the cloud. It continued to snow lightly on and off for most of the day.

13th January 2009 - Tuesday

High: 7.5
Low: -8.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(23)
Days we didn't see any sun: (10)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (13)
It was a lovely bright clear start to the day and was still showing +6 this morning. A lot of snow has melted overnight and the sun continued to melt it today. It felt very warm in the sun - a really great day!

12th January 2009 - Monday

High: 8.0
Low: -13.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(22)
Days we didn't see any sun: (10)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (13)
It was a foggy start, with patchy, thick fog in places on the journey work. It soon lifted though and it was a blue, sunny sky with little cloud. It didn't feel too cold today and there was no wind to speak of. It was another lovely day. A fair amount of snow has melted over the past few days. A warm wind started to blow in the evening and by 10.30pm it was +6.7.

Hours of Darkness This Week

It was coming light at around 8.05am and very light by 8.20am
It was going dark at 4.55pm and very dark by 5.30pm

11th January 2009 - Sunday

High: 6.5
Low: -9.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(22)
Days we didn't see any sun: (10)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (13)
It was a bright, cloudless and sunny start to the day. By 9.30am it was already zero degrees. It was another pleasant day, but the wind was quite cold once the sun went down.

10th January 2009 - Saturday

High: 4
Low: -8
Rain:(3)
Snow:(22)
Days we didn't see any sun: (10)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (13)
It was a bright and cloudless start to the day, by mid-morning the sky was sunny and very blue. The temperature was showing +3 and by noon it was +7.4 (in the sun). There was no wind, so even out of the sun it felt quite pleasant and warm.

9th January 2009 - Friday

High: 2
Low: -20
Rain:(3)
Snow:(22)
Days we didn't see any sun: (10)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (13)
It was a bright almost cloudless sky this morning and although it was showing -20 on the drive to work, it didn't feel as cold as yesterday as there was no wind and it was really quite sunny from arount 10am. There were lots of reports of slippery roads and accidents in and around the City but the road from Okotoks to High River was in pretty good condition.

By mid-day there was a huge Chinook arch over the mountains, with it came a fair bit of cloud cover, but hopefully we will have some warmer weather to look forward to over the days ahead.

On the drive home it was showing 0 degrees, so it had already warmed up 20 degrees by that point.

8th January 2009 - Thursday

High: -11.0
Low: -15.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(22)
Days we didn't see any sun: (10)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (13)
It was a cloudy start to the day, which gradually became completely white. We had a very short hail storm at around noon and it snowed lightly on and off for most of the afternoon. The temperature was showing around -10, but there was a really biting wind chill making it feel extremely cold. It was a foggy drive home, with blowing snow and slight snowfall making visibility and road conditions quite poor.

There have been weather warnings in effect today, suggesting strong winds, blowing snow and blizzard conditions in southern Alberta, particularly: Airdrie, Chochrane, Olds, Sundre, Lethbridge and Cypress Hills.

7th January 2009 - Wednesday

High: -10
Low: -12
Rain:(3)
Snow:(21)
Days we didn't see any sun: (9)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (12)
It was a very foggy morning, as you can see from the photo, visibilty wasn't very far. There were reports of a number of accidents on the roads and lots of caution was needed. It also felt quite a cold day today and perhaps a little damp. It snowed lightly mid morning but nothing really to speak of.

6th January 2009 - Tuesday

High: -5.0
Low: -11.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(20)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (12)
It was a lovely bright start to the day, with a bit of cloud cover. It was showing -10 on the drive to work, but with no wind, it felt really quite nice. It did become more cloudy as the day went on and it was a totally white sky by around 4.30pm. It started to get very foggy overnight.

5th January 2009 - Monday

High: 1
Low: -12
Rain:(3)
Snow:(20)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (12)
It was a bright, but fairly cloudy start to the day. The cloud did break and it was a clear blue sky in the afternoon and the sun shone for most of the day. It still felt quite cold but warmer than it has felt in recent days. The afternoon was sunny and bright and really rather pleasant.

Hours of Darkness This Week

It started to come light around 08.10 and was quite light by 08.30
Started to lose light at around 4.30 and was really quite dark by 5.20pm

4th January 2009 - Sunday

High: -2
Low: -20.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(20)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (12)
It was a bright blue, sunny sky today with a bit of cloud. It was a cold start at around -17 but began to warm up as the day went on and was around -3 by noon. It was a beautiful day outside and very pleasant in the sun.

3rd January 2009 - Saturday

High: -16.5
Low: -32.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(20)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (12)
It was a bright blue, cloudless and sunny sky today but it remained very cold.

Five Year Stats: October, November & December

We have been feeling as though December has been a pretty cold and snowy one. So we thought we would see if that was actually the case and put together stats for the last five years. It seems we were right, it has been one of the coldest and snowiest Decembers in some time. We included stats for October and November for anyone who might be interested in those too.
(Click on the picture to make it bigger)

2nd January 2009 - Friday

High: -22.0
Low: -25.5
Rain:(3)
Snow:(20)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (12)
It was white snowy sky today. It was snowing fairly lightly but consistently from around 9am. It was another bitterly cold day (-22 on the drive to work). The snow eased off around noon and the sun did manage to break through the cloud briefly in the afternoon. It remained very cold all day.

1st January 2009 - Thursday: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

High: -4.5
Low:-17.0
Rain:(3)
Snow:(19)
Days we didn't see any sun: (8)
Days swept snow from drive (1)
Days shovelled snow from drive (11)
It was a bright start to the day with very little wind and sunny. By mid-day it had clouded over and the wind had picked up, making it feel really quite cold. Early evening it snowed briefly and lightly.