Forget Elsa’s perpetual world of snow in Frozen; in Calgary, a perennial snowfall is reality. People complain about the snow at this time of year, yet, snow in the spring/summer season is old news for Calgarians.
In July 15, 1999, a snowfall surprised Calgary during the Stampede. Just imagine actual snow falling into your snow cone. Mother Nature also produced a gust that established a -14°C wind chill. Yet a week before, Stampede-goers had been experiencing temperatures of approximately 30ºC. Ironically, Calgary was the host to one of the warmest Winter Olympic Games with a maximum of 18.1ºC in 1988. Another odd event in Calgary’s weather history took place in 1991, where the city saw hail of 10cm in diameter.
Needless to say, Calgary is infamous for unpredictable weather conditions. Yet, as true Calgarians, we must embrace the inevitability of the unpredictable. Come rain or snow, Calgary will always prove to be a place with bizarre weather. But we can make use of it. Just think of it as a prolonged winter, with a longer skiing season, an excuse to continue putting off losing that winter weight and/or more reasons to stay under the warm comforts of one’s own home and have a movie night. Nonetheless, it is time that Calgarians just, “let it go.” The city’s weather is not going to change any soon, so let us embrace what is given before us.
