Weather Cameras
Whoop-Up Drive Traffic and Weather Cam Our Whoop-Up Drive camera was installed July 13/12 at the Pemmican Lodge facility – part of the Green Acres Foundation – Housing for Seniors here in Lethbridge. A big thanks go to Green Acres Foundation, Dawna and Roger for all their help. Enjoy the view!
This camera is owned and supported by Dok-Tor Harddrive Inc. (Gary Wheeler’s business based in Lethbridge, AB.)
What you’re looking at
The camera sits on the east side of the river at Pemmican Lodge and looks west along Whoop-Up Drive, the main road between East and West Lethbridge. In the front of the picture the road drops off the east bank into the Oldman River valley, crosses the river on the Whoop-Up Drive bridge, then climbs the coulees on the far side. The houses and trees along the skyline are West Lethbridge.
It’s handy to check before you head across. You can see how the traffic is moving, whether the road looks wet, icy or snow-covered, and whether fog is sitting down in the river bottom. Because it faces west toward the mountains, it’s also a good spot to watch the weather roll in, from a winter storm coming over the coulees to the clear band of a chinook arch along the horizon.
Camera views
The camera normally rests on its home view, looking west along Whoop-Up Drive from the east side of the coulees, across the river valley to West Lethbridge. Anyone watching can pick a preset in the camera player to swing it to a different view. After a while it goes back to the home view on its own, so if it’s pointing somewhere unexpected, someone else is probably having a look around.
- Home view: From the east side of the coulees, looking west along Whoop-Up Drive, down across the bridge and up the far side. Traffic, road conditions, and the weather coming in from the mountains.
- Bridge deck: A close-up of the Whoop-Up Drive bridge deck. The best view for checking whether the bridge is wet, snowy or icy. Bridges freeze before the rest of the road.
- Eastbound 6th Avenue South: Traffic heading east up out of the river valley toward downtown.
- River level: A close look at the Oldman River. Watch high water during spring runoff, and ice forming and breaking up in winter.
- BMX park and the river: The bike park in the coulees, with the river beyond.
- Coulee walking paths: The trails in the river bottom. Handy for checking for ice, snow or mud before a walk.
- Scenic Drive South exit: The exit to Scenic Drive South and the Scenic Drive overpass.
- University Drive overpass: The overpass on the west side of the river.
- University entrance: Across the river to the entrance of the University of Lethbridge.
- University of Lethbridge: The university buildings on the west bank of the coulees.
- Zipper merge (westbound): Where the westbound lanes of Whoop-Up Drive merge into one, zipper style. Handy for seeing how traffic is flowing at rush hour.
Please be patient if someone else is moving the camera. It always returns home.
Enjoying the camera?
Thanks for stopping by! I put this camera up in 2012 so anyone could check Whoop-Up Drive and the sky before heading across the river, and it’s been free to watch ever since. Together with the weather station, running since 2007, it’s something I’m happy to share with Lethbridge.
If it’s ever saved you a slippery drive, or you just like checking in on the weather, you’re welcome to buy me a coffee. It’s completely optional, and every bit goes straight into keeping the camera and station online.
Coming next: a high-definition camera
I’d love to upgrade to an HD camera so you get a sharper, clearer view of the road and the weather. It’s a big project, over $5,000 once you add the new camera and renting a lift truck to reach the mount, so every coffee helps get us there. I’ll post an update here when the new camera is up.
Just getting started. Be the first to chip in!
Local businesses: want to say hello to the people who check the camera every day? Sponsorships open January 2027.