Alberta climate website lets you compare temperature and other weather changes since 1950

If you ask 10Albertans how the weather has changed over the years, chances are you'll get 10 different answers and a whole bunch of anecdotes.

But now, a University of Lethbridge hydrologist wants us to put aside our perceptions and look at the actual data.

"It's really important for all of us to understand the difference between weather and climate," said StefanKienzle, professor of geography at the U of L.

"Climate is the average weather of many years, typically 30 years. So climate is really just a statistic."

By analyzingdailytemperatures,Kienzlehas created a simple,interactiveonlinemapthat tracks temperature changes in Albertabetween 1950 and 2010.

• Alberta Climate Recordsweather map

And according toKienzle, the records tell us theprovince is getting warmer.

"The average annual temperature has increased in Albertaby between two and three degrees. Particularlyin winter. The winters have warmed much,much faster than the summers have warmed."

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Back in1950, Calgariansexperienced20days where temperatures dropped below-25 C but only fivein 2010. The city also had 17 more frost days 60 years ago than it did six winters ago.

Land parcels reveal drastic growing season changes

Usingweather stationdata dating back to 1950, Kienzle wasable to break downtemperature trends in10-by-10 kilometre squaresacross theprovince.

Users can zoom into theonline map tosee how thegrowing season, heat waves, days over 25C, frost days, full days below 0C, and days below -25C have changedover time.

Kienzle saysAlberta's growing season has changed drasticallysince1950.

"The growing season length has increased between one and up to five weeks across Alberta."

Hesays the weather records also revealthat overall, the number of heat waves in the province has doubled since 1950 and he doesn't expect things tocool down anytime soon.

"The trends we have detected will clearly continue into the future and potentially even accelerate further."

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