25 communities across Alberta set new heat records on Tuesday, January 30, 2024. (Photo: Belish | Dreamstime.com)

By David Opinko

Medicine Hat beats temperature record set in 1931

Jan 31, 2024 | 11:30 AM

It was a record-setting warm day across much of Alberta on Tuesday.

In the Medicine Hat area there was a new record of 15.0 C, beating an old record of 13.3 set in 1931.

For the second day in a row, Environment Canada has announced that several communities set new daily maximum temperature records.

On Tuesday, that occurred in 25 municipalities, spanning nearly every region in Alberta.

It was the warmest in Onefour, an agricultural research substation in the far southeast corner of the province, reaching 16.4 degrees Celsius. That broke its previous record of 13.3 degrees set in 1962.

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Other communities in southern Alberta to have their hottest January 30th on record include Banff, Bow Island, Crowsnest Pass, High River, Medicine Hat, Milk River, and Waterton Lakes National Park.

There were three places in which records previously set in 1931 – 93 years ago – were broken: Medicine Hat, the Edmonton area, and Edson.

The full list of heat records in Alberta, as provided by Environment Canada, are as follows:

• Airdrie Area
  • New record of 15.4
  • Old record of 14.4 set in 1993
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1881
• Banff Area
  • New record of 11.5
  • Old record of 10.0 set in 1962
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1887
• Bow Island Area
  • New record of 15.4
  • Old record of 14.4 set in 1962
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1961
• Bow Valley (Provincial Park) Area
  • New record of 14.5
  • Old record of 14.4 set in 1962
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1928
• Breton Area
  • New record of 12.9
  • Old record of 11.0 set in 1992
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1939
• Calgary Area
  • New record of 14.5
  • Old record of 14.4 set in 1993
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1881
• Crowsnest Area
  • New record of 11.5
  • Old record of 8.0 set in 1989
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1965
• Edmonton Area
  • New record of 12.4
  • Old record of 11.7 set in 1931
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1880
• Edmonton (Int’l Aprt) Area
  • New record of 10.4
  • Old record of 7.9 set in 1993
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1959
• Edson Area
  • New record of 12.6
  • Old record of 12.2 set in 1931
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1916
• Esther Area
  • New record of 10.2
  • Old record of 8.7 set in 2012
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1985
• Hendrickson Creek Area
  • New record of 11.8
  • Old record of 9.7 set in 2009
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1995
• High River Area
  • New record of 14.4
  • Old record of 14.0 set in 1992
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1913
• Highvale Area
  • New record of 12.1
  • Old record of 9.0 set in 1984
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1977
• Lloydminster Area
  • New record of 8.5
  • Old record of 7.3 set in 1993
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1952
• Medicine Hat Area
  • New record of 15.0
  • Old record of 13.3 set in 1931
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1883
• Milk River Area
  • New record of 15.2
  • Old record of 11.3 set in 2006
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1994
• Nordegg Area
  • New record of 14.3
  • Old record of 11.6 set in 2009
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1915
• Onefour Area
  • New record of 16.4
  • Old record of 13.3 set in 1962
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1928
• Red Earth Creek Area
  • New record of 10.7
  • Old record of 5.9 set in 2000
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1994
• Rocky Mountain House Area
  • New record of 15.0
  • Old record of 14.4 set in 1962
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1915
• Sundre Area
  • New record of 14.9
  • Old record of 10.8 set in 2009
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1993
• Vegreville Area
  • New record of 9.8
  • Old record of 8.5 set in 1993
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1918
• Wainwright Area
  • New record of 8.9
  • Old record of 6.7 set in 2009
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1966
• Waterton Park Area
  • New record of 13.3
  • Old record of 12.0 set in 1992
  • Records in this area have been kept since 1976

Lethbridge got up to a high of 14.6 degrees on Tuesday, but Environment Canada did not say that it was a record-setting day for warmth in the city.

The two dozen heat records set Tuesday are in addition to the 14 from Monday this week.