Planning Around the Weather
Events, road trips and winter driving in southern Alberta: what to check, when to check it, and what to pack.
In Simple Terms
Around here the wind, a sudden storm or a chinook can change plans fast. Good planning is mostly about checking at the right times and having a backup.
3 days out: look at the trend. The day before: check wind, gusts and alerts. The morning of: check the radar and current conditions.
Outdoor events
- Wind is the big one. Pop-up canopies, signs and tables start to move in gusts over about 40 km/h. Weight every leg properly, or skip the canopy on a windy day.
- Thunderstorms: “When thunder roars, go indoors.” Know where people will shelter (a building or vehicles, not a tent or tree). Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back out.
- Heat: plan shade and water, and move strenuous activity to the morning.
- Wildfire smoke: check the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) in the WeatherCAN app. At 7 or higher (high risk), children, seniors and anyone with heart or lung problems should cut back on strenuous outdoor activity, and everyone should if they start coughing or feel throat irritation.
- Have a backup. Pick a rain date or an indoor option before you need it, and decide who makes the call and by when.
Our What should I do today? page helps match plans to the conditions.
Road trips
- Check 511 Alberta (511.alberta.ca or the app) for road conditions, closures and highway cameras before you leave.
- Crosswinds: Highway 3 west of Lethbridge, Highway 2 near Fort Macleod and the Crowsnest Pass are known for strong gusts. High-sided vehicles, RVs and trailers are most at risk. Try our Crosswind Checker.
- Sun glare: driving east in the morning and west in the evening can be blinding, especially in winter when the sun stays low.
- Check where you’re going, too. The weather in the mountains or in Calgary can be very different from Lethbridge.
Winter driving
Ground blizzards: strong wind can lift snow off open fields into a whiteout even under a blue sky. Black ice after a chinook: melted snow refreezes on the road when the temperature drops again, often overnight or on shaded stretches and bridges.
- Use winter tires, and leave much more following distance than you think you need.
- Plug in the block heater when it’s around −15 °C or colder. A plug-in timer set for about two hours before you leave does the job and saves power.
- Keep the tank at least half full in winter.
- Tell someone your route and when you expect to arrive.
- If you get stuck, stay with your vehicle, run the engine for short periods only, and keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow.
Car winter kit: blanket or sleeping bag, warm clothes, hat and mitts, shovel, scraper and brush, booster cables, flashlight, phone charger, water, high-energy snacks, sand or traction mats, candle in a can with matches, first-aid kit. More in Preparedness. Check your exposure risk with the Frostbite Clock.
Daylight and planning
Lethbridge gets about 8 hours of daylight in late December and nearly 16 hours in late June. In winter, plan drives and outdoor work around the short days, and remember the low sun means glare for much of the day. Our daylight tool shows sunrise, sunset and day length for any date.