The recent cold snap has broken at least 38 records for low temperatures across the province including a new record for Camrose and area according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
According to reports, Camrose recorded a temperature of -42.5C on Jan. 13, breaking the old record of -41C set in 1998. Records have been kept for Camrose weather since 1921.
Additionally, five of the communities on the list for record-breaking cold temperatures this past weekend, were on another list last month for record breaking high temperatures. Bow Island, Cardston, Crowsnest area, Medicine Hat and Milk River all had record highs in Dec. and now have recorded historic low temperatures on Jan. 13.
The freezing temperatures did more than set records over the weekend, they also prompted an emergency alert from the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) appealing to Albertans to conserve electricity to ward off rotating power outages as the grid was under strain from the cold. Temperatures dropped between -35 and -48.
AESO worked with the government to issue the alert at 3:30 p.m. which according to AESO, had an almost immediate effect. They saw a significant 100 MW drop in electricity demand, which amounted to a 200 MW reduction within minutes. The alert was lifted at 8:40 p.m.
“The province-wide response to the call for energy conservation was tremendous,” said Mike Law, President and CEO of the AESO on their website. “On behalf of the AESO, I would like to extend my thanks to all Albertans who responded to the call for action, which ensured we didn’t have to progress to rotating outages, keeping our grid up and running for all Albertans.”
In addition to Albertans responding to the call for action, so did the province of Sask. Just over 153 MW of power was provided to Alberta through SaskPower to help with the shortage. In a post on social media, Premier Scott Moe said the power was coming from their natural gas and coal-fired power plants.
“That power will be coming from natural gas and coal-fired plants, the ones the Trudeau government is telling us to shut down,” he posted.
Alberta has two coal-fired facilities left, the Genesee Generating Stations, in Warburg, AB, that are expected to transition to natural gas this year. In 2015 the province had 18.
Jana Semeniuk
Staff Reporter
