Hi all,

My boy Josh (pastylover) has had a really good thread going on the forum, entitled "Weather". Well, i've got my own weather question to ask, and at last glance, it hadn't specifically been answered.

I realize the 'chinook winds' seem to affect Southern Alberta the most - people in and around the Calgary area seem to mention them often, but my question for you guys is this;-

How far to the chinooks extend? Do they affect as far North as Red Deer? Or as far South as Lethbridge? Do places like Bragg Creek and Cochrane get them for a longer period due to their proximity to the Rockies?

Come on, all you budding weathermen/women, help me out.

Take care y'all,

Kev.

Ain't no-one out there got the answer to my question? Or haven't i given this thread enough time to reap any opinions?

Take care y'all,

Kev.

Well they get as far as Waterton

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/waterto...natcul1e_e.asp

here is a school site that says most of Alberta get them

http://www.ycdsb.edu.on.ca/schools/s...na/alberta.htm

Hi Lizwil,

Thanks for the info - i'll check those sites out.

Take care,

Kev.

I grew up an hour north of Calgary and we definitely got chinooks in the winter - I remember tons of times we'd wake up in the morning to a chinook arch and 10 degrees weather when it had been sub-zero for days before. My brother lived in Lethbridge last year and I got the impression that chinooks there were even stronger than in Calgary - he was actually unable to cross-country ski in the city parks b/c the snow usually didn't last more than 2 or 3 days and then a chinook would blow through and everything would melt. (basically, he just kept timing it wrong and missing the snow!) Not sure exactly how far north or south the effect goes overall in Alberta, though...

The American states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, and Utah apparently experience the Chinook phenomenon too.

In Canada the effects of the Chinook sometimes are felt as far north as Edmonton and as far east as Swift Current, Saskatchewan. The strongest effects, however, are felt in Southern Alberta, east of the Rockies and south of Red Deer.

Calgary experiences 20 or 30 Chinook days a year. I'm told that some of our Chinooks take place in summer, but then the weather is warm enough that we aren't conscious of the effect.

I have seen a couple of explanations for the origin of the wind's name. One account claims it was named after the Chinook People, a band belonging to the Salish Nation, who lived at the mouth of the Columbia River, because the wind appeared to emanate from their homeland. Another account claims it means "snow eater" in the language of the Blackfoot Nation.

Something I did not mention in the other weather thread is that the Chinook phenomenon limits the number of tree species that can grow in Calgary. Many species cannot tolerate the rapid temperature fluctuations. Ironically a place like Winnipeg, which is colder than Calgary, has a greater variety of trees, because the weather is more consistent.

Some very interesting facts guys - thanks. But is it fair to say that the closer to the Rockies you are, the stronger the effect would be? i.e. places like Bragg Creek, or Cochrane, etc?

Kev.

The people who live in Cochrane and Bragg Creek would be able to give you a more accurate response, but as far as I know there is no appreciable difference between the Chinook effect in Calgary and those communities just to the west of it. Each of them is only about 40 km west of Calgary.

Cochrane's elevation is listed on one web site as 1,134 metres above sea level. I've seen various elevations provided for Calgary. One of the popular figures for Calgary is 1,139 m. I don't know which spot is supposed to be representative. The city's landscape goes from flat in some spots to undulating in other spots to quite hilly in still other spots. So the elevation does vary. Anyway, you could say that Calgary's and Cochrane's elevations are similar, on average.

Bragg Creek is a bit higher, at about 1,300 m. It seems to me that Bragg Creek gets somewhat more snow than Calgary does. That's how it has seemed to me when I've driven out there in the winter. Also, I sometimes hear on the radio that Bragg Creek has received a snowfall overnight when Calgary has not. From my recollection, that seems to happen most often in late autumn / early winter, when winter seems to arrive in Bragg Creek just a little sooner than it does in Calgary. I attribute that to Bragg Creek's slightly higher elevation.

However, I think that the climates of the three places are sufficiently similar that climate should not be a factor in deciding in which of those communities to live, if that's your reason for asking the question.

We're just about to leave the Brecon Beacons in South Wales, UK - we get Chinooks nearly every day.
Only these ones are military helicopters on a training flight.

My Dad nearly blew up Brecon in the 1950s. He gave the wrong co-ordinates to his gunner. This is what happens when you let Canadians join the British Army

Studies have documented mood changes among ground dwellers just before a chinook. A jump in the no of auto accidents, crimes and suicides is associated with chinook weather. It is thought this is due to absorption of +ve ions causing changes in the bodies serotonin ( a mood changing hormoone) levels.

From Ben Gadd: Handbook of the Canadian Rockies (an excellent book).

I've learnt to use this all the time to my benefit: "It's not my fault its the Chinook!"

Hi Judy,

Funny you should mention that - as a matter of fact, that did have a ;ittle to do with my original question.

If we're successful with our emmigration plans and we do move over, i'd prefer to live somewhere where the long winters are broken up a little by the chinooks every now and then. But i'd also like to live somewhere within commuting distance to work (if needs be), and i'm assuming that property just outside Calgary should hopefully be a little cheaper.

Kev.