It has been a light month for snow in Calgary, so light in fact that some parts of Florida have received more snowfall so far in 2025 than YYC.
It’s not very often that Florida and much of the US Gulf Coast get walloped by heavy snow, but this week, some areas of the Sunshine State were hit by up to 10 inches of snow, working out just over 25 centimetres.
According to the National Weather Service snowfall reports, the Floridian communities of Milton, Jay, Pace, Crestview, and Molino all accumulated between nine and 10 inches of snow, the equivalent of nearly 23 and 25 centimetres.
National Weather Service
That got us thinking about how much snow Calgary has seen so far this year and our city pales in comparison to some parts of Florida.
Daily Hive contacted Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and spoke to Alysa Pederson, a warning preparedness meteorologist.
Pederson said most of Alberta has above-normal or near-normal precipitation; however, Calgary and portions of the foothills are well below normal.
So far this year at the Calgary International Airport, just 5.2 centimetres of snow has fallen. YYC is currently sitting at about 25% of the amount of precipitation it should be for January.
Going further back in the record books, Pederson said that since September 1, 2024, Calgary has accumulated 44.9 centimetres of snow, with the 10-year average for that timeframe usually sitting at 70 centimetres.
“It’s on the lower side. Last year, we had about 70 centimetres at this point,” she added.
Looking at the ECCC forecast for Calgary, it looks like parts of Florida will retain the title of being snowier than our city for January, with just a 30% chance of flurries in the cards for today and tonight and plenty of sunshine and warmer temperatures over the next seven days.
Environment and Climate Change Canada
All hope is not lost, though, when it comes to precipitation for the rest of winter in Calgary, with Pederson mentioning that Alberta is now in a La Nina period, and next month is looking wet.
“February is going to be colder than normal across the province, but we’re also seeing signals of more than normal precipitation, with the strongest signals in southern and southwestern AB. There’s still some hope for getting good moisture down there.”