Medicine Hat, Alberta, is seeing a rare mid-winter warm spell: Environment and Climate Change Canada forecasts daily highs near 15°C between Feb. 4 and Feb. 8, 2026. That peak is roughly 18°C above the typical early‑February high of about −3°C (based on ECCC climate normals).
The spike in temperature is being driven by a Chinook event — warm, dry winds that heat as they descend the eastern slopes of the Rockies — combined with a strong high‑pressure ridge that has pushed colder Arctic air away from the southern Prairies. Warning Preparedness Meteorologist Alysa Pederson of Environment and Climate Change Canada has described the Chinook as a warm reprieve for southern Alberta (see Bridge City News coverage).
Locals are taking advantage of the sunny, mild weather by visiting parks and some golf courses that are rarely open in February (local operators such as Cottonwood Coulee have reported unusual activity). Meteorologists speaking to regional outlets, including 650 CKOM (which was reporting on the unusual warm spell across southern Saskatchewan and the southern Prairies), say the warmth is temporary and likely to end later next week.
City staff in Medicine Hat are monitoring storm drains and gutters as the rapid snowmelt increases runoff and raises the risk of localized flooding or ice‑damming in downspouts. Historical climate data (ExtremeWeatherWatch and ECCC normals) show that daytime highs of this magnitude are more typical of late April or early May than early February.
Similar warm spells in Alberta have been described in past reporting as an “atmospheric gift,” a phrase used by CBC in earlier coverage of unseasonable provincial warmth (CBC, Dec. 2, 2020). Environment and local forecasts indicate double‑digit highs should wind down beginning the evening of Feb. 9, 2026, with temperatures returning toward seasonal norms thereafter.
