Albertans can likely expect more wild weather throughout summer: ECCC

A tornado that destroyed five homes and caused damage to others between Carstairs and Didsbury on Saturday is the latest in a string of extreme weather events this year in Alberta.

Record-setting heat, wildfires, flooding, hail storms, and tornadoes.

Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Terri Lang says while these are common occurrences in the province, this year has been more active than the last few for a reason.

“Those were drought years. And we tend to see less severe weather during drought years. Just because lots of storms are fuelled by moisture and the moisture that’s coming from crops. It’s been a quiet last couple of years and I think people forget that severe weather season is always, it can be quite active in Alberta,” said Lang.

The conversation around climate change has sparked in light of Alberta’s weather events. While there are ongoing studies surrounding the link between extreme weather and climate change, Lang warns that putting recent events under the climate change umbrella may not be entirely accurate.

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“Just because it has been busy, you can’t necessarily attribute that to climate change. There has to be a pattern shown. Cherry-picking one or two events, you just can’t do that,” said Lang.

There have been 13 confirmed tornadoes in Alberta so far this year. As for wildfires, nearly 1.5 million hectares have burned in 2023, more than the last five years combined.

The month of May set a record for heat in Edmonton, with an average temperature of 17.2 degrees Celsius, up from a previous average of 11.5 C.

Lang says while severe weather generally tapers off by mid to late August, Albertans should be prepared for severe weather to continue until then.

“The forecast for the rest of the summer is for it to be above average with respect to temperature wise. If I were an Albertan, I would be prepared for the remainder of the summer to be an active summer. Thunderstorms, be prepared for everything that those thunderstorms bring, which means lightning, hail, tornadoes, the whole gamut.”