Why don’t our numbers always match the official Lethbridge weather? Because the official readings come from the airport, out on the open prairie, and this station is right in the city. Here’s why that matters, and a live side-by-side so you can see it for yourself.
Right now, side by side
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Two very different places
The two stations are less than 10 km apart, but they live in very different places.
- Lethbridge Airport sits on open prairie south of the city. There’s nothing around it to slow the wind except the Rocky Mountains, far off to the west. It measures what it’s like out in open country.
- This station in West Lethbridge is in the middle of the city, surrounded by houses, roofs, roads and trees. It measures what it’s like where most of us actually live.
The urban heat island
Pavement, roofs and buildings soak up heat during the day and give it back at night. That keeps the city warmer than the open countryside, especially on calm, clear nights. So it’s normal for West Lethbridge to read a few degrees milder overnight than the airport.
Pavement, roofs and buildings soak up heat during the day and give it back at night. That keeps the city warmer than the open countryside, especially on calm, clear nights. So it’s normal for West Lethbridge to read a few degrees milder overnight than the airport.
What you’ll usually notice
- Overnight lows: often milder in the city, most of all on calm, clear nights.
- Wind: usually stronger and steadier at the airport, where nothing blocks it. Both stations measure wind 10 m up, but buildings and trees around the city still break up the flow.
- Daytime highs: often close, but sunny, calm afternoons can run a little warmer in town.
- Rain, snow and hail: storms are hit-and-miss. One side of the city can get a downpour while the other stays dry.
- Chinooks: the warm-up can arrive at slightly different times at each spot.
- Pressure: can be a few hectopascals apart, because each station uses its own method to adjust its reading to sea level, and the methods differ most in cold weather. The trend, rising or falling, is what to compare.
Which one is right?
Both. Use the airport for open highways, farmland and flying. Use West Lethbridge for what it’s like in town, in your yard and on your street.
Both. Use the airport for open highways, farmland and flying. Use West Lethbridge for what it’s like in town, in your yard and on your street.
Keep exploring
- Current weather · Airport weather reports · About the station
- Learn more in the free Weather School on Lethbridge Weather
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