Calgarians traded parkas for lighter jackets this week as the city was plunged into an extraordinary mid-January warm spell, shattering a daily temperature record and threatening an all-time monthly benchmark.
Records Topple Under Unseasonable Heat
By mid-morning on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, thermometers in Calgary had already surged past a historic mark. The previous record high for January 14 was 11.2°C, set in 2004, a figure easily surpassed as temperatures climbed toward 14°C and beyond. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Justin Shelley, the city was on track to challenge the warmest day ever recorded for the entire month of January.
"We're already close to 14C and we could come close to a monthly record," Shelley stated at 10:30 a.m. that morning. The all-time January record for Calgary is 17.6°C, established on January 7, 2003. The second-warmest January day saw a high of 16.7°C on January 25, 2015.
The Meteorological Drivers Behind the Warmth
This burst of balmy weather is not a random anomaly but the result of specific atmospheric conditions. Shelley explained that a large upper ridge of high pressure parked over western Canada, combined with potent chinook winds gusting up to 50 km/h, is responsible for the surge. These dry, warm winds are famous for rapidly eating away at snow cover.
"It does help that there's little to no snow cover – it brings those temperatures up," Shelley noted, highlighting how the lack of reflective snow allows the ground to absorb more heat. This event contributed to record-breaking temperatures in 15 locations across Alberta, though Calgary's high of approximately 15°C, while remarkable, did not set a new all-time monthly record.
The normal high temperature for mid-January in Calgary is a frigid -3°C, making Wednesday's conditions more than 17 degrees above seasonal.
City Life Adapts to January "Patio Weather"
The unseasonable warmth had an immediate impact on city life. At the popular Ship and Anchor Pub on 17th Avenue S.W., staff were preparing the patio for customers, a rare sight for January. Spokesman Evan Resnik acknowledged the exceptional conditions, noting an unwritten rule that the patio is always open, regardless of season.
However, not everyone was celebrating. "It's crazy – I've been getting into the outdoor rinks so I'm not that excited," admitted Resnik, reflecting a sentiment shared by winter sports enthusiasts.
Meteorologist Shelley offered a reality check for those missing winter, assuring that more typical January conditions are on the horizon. A cold front is expected to move through the area later in the week, dropping temperatures to seasonal averages or below. "It's only the middle of January in Alberta and we're already tracking the next pattern shift to cooler-than-seasonal temperatures," he said.
Before the chill returns, Calgarians can expect a week of mild weather. After a brief dip to around 4°C on Thursday and Friday, temperatures are forecast to rebound to near 13°C on Saturday. Shelley also pointed out that daylight is steadily increasing by about two minutes per day since the winter solstice, a gradual march toward spring.
"But every day we have like Wednesday is a day closer to spring," Shelley concluded, offering a silver lining to the disrupted winter pattern. The event underscores the variable and often dramatic climate of the Alberta foothills, where chinook winds can rewrite the rules of a season in a matter of hours.
