Smoke lingers as heat retreats from records

It won’t quite be the scorcher of last week, but another stretch of hot days is in store for Calgary.

Environment Canada forecasts highs of at least 20 C from Monday through Saturday, with Thursday expected to go up to 27 C.

Monday should see a high of 21 C and an overnight low of 11 C, with a mix of sun and cloud. Tuesday is expected to be sunny with a high of 26 C.

“Temperatures are lower than they have been over the past week but we’re still going to be sitting generally in and around 25 degrees for most of the week,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Alysa Pederson. “At this point, we’re not looking at records for this week. Records for this time of year are typically still in the 30 degrees (range) and none of our forecast highs are approaching that this week.”

Smoke continues to hover over the city, but Alberta Environment and Parks forecasts a low risk Monday for Calgary on the air quality health index. On Sunday, Calgary marked its 153rd smoky hour this year, putting 2018 in fourth place for its most ever in a single year.

How long the smoke lingers depends on weather patterns, according to Pederson.

“In the last week, just with the way that the upper ridge sat over us and gave us all of those record temperatures, it kind of stagnated, where the smoke just stuck around,” she said. “It all depends on what the weather pattern is showing for how long it will last.”

Pederson said the smoke was expected to dissipate a little between Sunday and Monday.

“However, there’s still a possibility with the system that’s moving through right now that the smoke might stick around,” she said. “It should weaken as the flow from the B.C. fires, which is the source region of this smoke, is not into Alberta at the moment.

“Later into the week, we’re getting a little bit more of that westerly wind above the surface again and so there is a chance that more smoke might move into the region.”