September 18th, 2024

October sets local records for chill

By Medicine Hat News on October 27, 2020.

A train rolls across the CP Rail bridge over ice floes on the South Saskatchewan River that formed during the past week's cold snap.--NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT

The wind chill dipped below minus-30C in Onefour on Monday morning, adding to a record-breaking chill for late October in deep southeastern Alberta.

A general warming trend took hold Monday, but not before several records for this time of year were shattered.

At Onefour, located 100 kilometres south of Medicine Hat, the actual temperature fell to minus-21.2C at 1 a.m. on Oct. 26.

That combined with a stiff northeasterly wind to push the windchill to 32C below zero.

In Medicine Hat, a Sunday night low of minus-12.9C broke a recent daily record of minus-8C, set in 2012, while with the wind it felt more like minus-22C.

A high of 11C and low of zero was predicted for Tuesday, with temperatures eventually climbing to the high positive teens next weekend.

By mid-afternoon on Monday, Pollockville (north of Brooks) was the provincial hotspot at 6C, while the Saskatchewan hotspot was at the Leader airport.

In Onefour on Saturday, however, the low of minus-16.6C broke a record set in 1942 for the coldest Oct. 26.

It is the result of frigid air that set in across Montana. Havre broke a near 140-year record low reporting minus 16C (3 Fahrenheit).

Temperatures approaching minus-20C were also reported in Milk River, Cypress Hills (Sask.), and Shaunavon.

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