Just how hot does Calgary get in July? Take a look at 50 years' worth of weather data - Action News
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Just how hot does Calgary get in July? Take a look at 50 years' worth of weather data

If the forecast for this week holds, Calgary will see more days above 30 C than it usually does for the entire month of July.

Last summer was unusually cold. This one is shaping up to be exceptionally hot.

Calgary's skyline is silhouetted in red.
The sun shines over downtown Calgary, as seen from Bow Trail, in this file photo. (Mike Robertson)

If the forecast for this week holds, Calgary will see more days above 30 C thanit usually does for the entire month of July.

The city is expected to crack that 30-degree mark on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, according to Environment Canada.

And while that's not unheard of, it's not exactly an everyday thing in this city.

The forecast for Calgary later this week. If Sunday indeed reaches 33 C, it would set a record. (Environment Canada)

On average, July has 2.1 days that reach or exceed 30 C, based on the last 50 years' worth of weather data.

And this week's heat wave will seem that much hotter compared with last year.

The highest temperature recorded in July 2016 was 27.4 C.

That was the lowest mark for the month since 1995.

This year, Calgary is on track for an average high of 28.5 C for the first 10 days of July (based on actual and forecast temperatures.)

"This one may be the real hot one," said David Phillips, a senior climatologist with Environment Canada.

"This could very well be the pattern that we're going to see for the rest of the summer."

Past highs and lows

If the current trend continues for the rest of the month, this July would be the hottest on record in the past half-century, in terms of average daily highs.

The current mark was set in 2007, when the average daily high for July was 26.4 C.

The coldest July, by contrast, came in 1993, when daily temperatures peaked at an average of just 18.4 C.

The highest temperature reached in July over the past 50 years, meanwhile, came in 1984.

On July 26 of that year, the thermometer at the Calgary International Airport topped out at 35.3 C.