Records broken as temperature drops 15 °C (27 °F) in minutes in Alberta, Canada

Saturday was the coldest March 31 on record in three locations across Canada – Red Deer, Grande Prairie, and Pincher Creek, according to Environment Canada.

A cold front passed through the southwest corner of the province on the morning of March 31, 2018, dropping temperatures in places like Cardston by 15 °C (27 °F) within an hour.

Grande Prairie dropped to -30 °C (-22 °F) overnight breaking an 83-year-old record. Pincher Creek hit -21 °C (-5.8 °F), edging an 82-year record, and Red Deer hit -22 °C (-7.6 °F), breaking a record low of -19.4 °C (-2.92 °F) that was set in 1975.

Fort McMurray and Cold Lake set new low-temperature records on Friday with lows of -31.7 °C (-25.06 °F) and -21.7 °C (-7.06 °F).

A number of weather warnings and special weather statements were issued across the province, including snowfall warnings.

Places like Jasper National Park saw between 15 to 20 cm  (5.9 – 7.87 inches) of snowfall from 29 – 31 March, while some local ski hills saw even more.

Areas west of Calgary like Kananaskis recorded 15 cm (5.9 inches) with this system, while Calgary had close to 3 cm (1.2 inches), the Global News reports.

The average daytime high in Calgary this time of year is 7 °C (44.6 °F). On March 31, 2017, it was 15 °C (59 °F) in Calgary, 25 °C (45 °F) warmer than this year.

Matti Kukkola

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