Chinook winds brought unusually high temperatures to southern Alberta on Feb. 4, 2026. (Image Credit: (c) Belish | Dreamstime.com)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge was first Canadian community to hit 20 degrees in 2026

Feb 5, 2026 | 8:52 AM

It may still be winter for some time, but that did not stop southern Alberta from having a warm, spring day.

The Weather Network says Lethbridge was the first community in the country to see its temperature reach 20 degrees Celsius this year.

On Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, it got up to 20.6 degrees.

The agency says that it is “a notable, but not unheard of, accomplishment for this time of the year.”

According to The Weather Network, the unusually warm weather was caused by Chinook winds, a term that anybody living in the region is surely familiar with.

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That is when specific, atmospheric setups force warm Pacific air up over the Rocky Mountains.

“As they reach the peak and descend towards Alberta’s foothills, the now-dry winds warm significantly and race down to the surface,” says The Weather Network.

High temperatures in the winter months do happen occasionally, as Lethbridge hit 20 degrees on Jan. 26, 2015, the earliest occurrence for the weather station.

Environment Canada reports that heat records were also set in seven communities south of Calgary on Wednesday, including:

BOW ISLAND AREA 
New record of 20.3 
Old record of 9.8 set in 2012 
Records in this area have been kept since 1961 

BROOKS AREA 
New record of 18.5 
Old record of 11.7 set in 1964 
Records in this area have been kept since 1912 

CROWSNEST AREA 
New record of 13.1 
Old record of 10.5 set in 2009 
Records in this area have been kept since 1965 

MEDICINE HAT AREA 
New record of 17.9 
Old record of 15.7 set in 1992 
Records in this area have been kept since 1883 

ONEFOUR AREA 
New record of 15.8 
Old record of 12.8 set in 1963 
Records in this area have been kept since 1928 

PINCHER CREEK AREA 
New record of 16.1 
Old record of 13.9 set in 1963 
Records in this area have been kept since 1893 

WATERTON PARK AREA 
New record of 15.2 
Old record of 13.9 set in 2009 
Records in this area have been kept since 1976