A tale of 2 cities: Edmonton floods while Calgary bakes in the sun

Alberta's two largest cities, Edmonton and Calgary, are experiencing drastically contrasting weather patterns this summer, highlighting a stark meteorological divide. Edmonton is grappling with unprecedented rainfall, while Calgary is basking in sunny, dry conditions.

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To give you some statistics, so far this year in Edmonton, they’ve received 533.8 millimeters of precipitation through the months of June and July. That’s a record for the whole summer, if we consider the months June, July and August together. The previous record was 417.1 millimeters set in 1953.

Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor reported that Edmonton has received a record 533.8 millimeters of precipitation through June and July. This figure surpasses the previous summer record of 417.1 millimeters set in 1953. July alone saw 264.7 millimeters of rain, causing flooded roads and basements, uprooting trees, and forcing the cancellation of concerts and outdoor events. The City of Edmonton anticipates storm cleanup costs to range from $20 million to $30 million.

Proctor explained that the frequent severe thunderstorms over Edmonton were fueled by abundant atmospheric moisture, describing it as "gasoline" for storm development. These storms repeatedly tracked across the same areas, leading to localized but intense precipitation. This pattern has been a nightmare for organizers of Edmonton's summer festivals, including the K-Days celebrations, where two headline concerts were canceled due to the severe weather.

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Really dry is probably the best way I can word it.

In sharp contrast, Calgary has received a mere 10.4 millimeters of precipitation in July. Proctor described the conditions as "really dry." While Calgary experienced significant rainfall in June, the majority fell during two specific events. As Calgary residents enjoyed temperatures in the low 30s to start the August long weekend, Environment Canada issued a "heat warning" for the city.

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One of the things to think about is, for thunderstorms, moisture is like gasoline. We had copious amounts of ‘gasoline’ available out there for thunderstorm activity to develop, and as it did develop, it sort of began tracking over and over across the same areas.