Top 10 Events of 2021

 10. Sunrises and Sunsets

While great sunrises and sunsets can happen anywhere, the Canadian Prairies seem to have a high frequency of truly spectacular events in a given year. This is particularly true in the Chinook Country of southwestern Alberta. Whether it's a morning Chinook Arch with illuminated tendrils of virga, the upwind edge of a Chinook Arch at sunset, or evening mammatus after a storm, there's no shortage of banger events treating delighted locals. 

All scenes above were shot on my smartphone in 2021.

9. Southern Alberta Grassfire, then Dust Storm 

On March 28th, a strong downslope wind event brought wind gusts in excess of 100km/h along the Highway 2 corridor south of Calgary, igniting a grassfire that would rapidly burn a swath of dry farmland as well as several structures east of Claresholm. 

Burn scar and dust storm seen from space. Satellite image courtesy Sentinel

Torched fenceposts amid blowing topsoil

On April 1, another downslope wind event created a significant local dust storm within and east of the burn scar, liberating tonnes of topsoil. 

On April 17, we observed numerous dust devils over the locally-low albedo surface of the burn scar during the warm, dry, and windless afternoon. Nearby, we observed an absolutely massive dust devil that formed on an alkali lake bed. 

8. High River Area Tornadoes

Tornadogenesis

Maturity

On June 5th, we observed a pair of tornadoes south of Calgary. The first occurred near Longview, and the second, pictured above, occurred just southwest of Blackie. The latter had "Lawnmower Man" vibes, as indeed, it developed in a similar environment - but thankfully resulted in no damage or injuries despite crossing over a major secondary highway. It's always encouraging to nail your storm chasing target a day or two in advance.

A number of other large gustnadoes and dust devils occurred in the area as well, with steep low level lapse rates owing to a dry surface, along with the presence of a wind shift boundary in the area. I wrote more about this event here.

7. Amazing Aurora Event

During the early morning of November 4th, an incredible, long duration Aurora event occurred, bringing dazzling pillars of green, purple and red to the skies within the Auroral Oval. What was really notable in the Calgary area was the dancing corona overhead, as the lights flickered and swayed vigorously for several hours after midnight. 

Other really good Aurora events occurred on March 20th and April 16th. As we head into the next solar maximum that peaks in July 2025, there will undoubtedly be more stunning displays ahead. 

6. Cold Weather Experiments

Without fail, my best-performing content in a given year is always related to the extreme cold, and the shenanigans we get up to in it. 

This year, besides the classic hot water toss, I tried a number of other cold weather experiments, including:

- A banana hammer

- A frozen clothes percussion ensemble

- More frozen foods

- A frozen towel airplane

- A frozen towel toboggan

Additionally, I opportunistically shot video of me karate kicking rime ice off of chainlink fences and ball diamonds in southeast Calgary on January 24th. 

5. Knocked Over by Wind

On January 19th, I climbed up to the summit of Nakiska Ridgetop for a second time to document the wind. I had been practicing my pattern recognition to see what kind weather conditions lead to maximum wind gusts, so  I went out when I figured I had found my weather window. As I was up there, I encountered a 193km/h gust - far stronger than the previous year's 124km/h gust. 

I learned that I couldn't stand when gusts exceeded about 170-180km/h, and learned that I'll need knee and elbow pads next time for getting knocked down onto the hard scree. I had to crawl a fair ways down the upper ridge because it was simply too hard to stand. That's one way to feel humbled by nature and get the adrenaline dumping!

4. Transport Truck Tips Over

On January 12th, a strong downslope wind event in southern Alberta resulted in a number of transport trucks tipping over along highways 2 and 22 south of Calgary in typical fashion. These roadways run perpendicular to the terrain, and thus, the crosswinds that roar down the slopes of the front range and foothills. Any trucker caught off guard with a light load owing to a sudden gust - especially when banking away from the wind in the southbound lanes - can find their world suddenly going sideways. 

Thankfully, the trucker involved here was unharmed, but that's not always the case. 

3. All-time Record Heat in Lytton, BC

50C on the TWN vehicle thermometer

On June 29th, Lytton broke Canada's all-time national high temperature record for the third day straight, at 49.6C. The heat was stifling, making it hard to work outside for long, and causing my camera gear to rapidly overheat. The air smelled strongly of cooked sagebrush and juniper, and your feet would burn through the soles of your shoes on the hot pavement. Lytton is often BC's hotspot, so that felt like the safe place to target for experiencing maximum heat. 

Initially, the mood was lighthearted, as I was attempting to fry and melt things on a cast-iron pan on the street in the scorching heat. Little did I know that the next day the village would be gone. I wrote at length about the experience here. 

2. BC Firestorms

Pyrocumulonimbus cloud near Savona on June 29th

The same day that Lytton broke the all-time record high, a number of large, human-caused wildfires rapidly took off. Heading back toward Kamloops, I saw a gigantic pyrocumulonimbus cloud blowing up over the Sparks Lake fire near Savona. 

The following day (June 30th), the firestorm raged on, with numerous, powerful cloud to ground lightning strikes being generated by the plume several kilometres north of the fire, which sparked more wildfires. There's something about documenting wildfires that is uniquely intense and stressful. Here are some more visuals from the area on the day that Lytton burned down nearby, and a more in-depth look at the event.  

1. The Sun is Blotted Out of the Afternoon Sky

 

BC's fire season was just relentless, so I found myself back in the interior providing live coverage in mid-August after the whole city of Vernon was put on evacuation alert ahead of the nearby White Rock Lake fire. It was more personal for me this time as well, as I have family in the city. 

On August 14th, the skies in Vernon turned an apocalyptic orange, as I walked the streets of downtown. 

On August 15th, the thick, combined plumes of the White Rock Lake and Tremont Creek wildfires blotted out the afternoon sun along Highway 97 northwest of Vernon. It was here that I shot the most intense Facebook Live of my life to date. 

Darkness at 430PM

More:

2021 was really hard for a lot of folks - and not just because of the weather. It has been a very challenging year for me personally, and I have been taking the time to self-care and get the help I need. 

On a brighter note, I was able to document 8 out of Alberta's 12 species of owl in 2021. I drove thousands of kilometres, and didn't manage many very good photos, but my love of these elusive creatures grows more every year. I am excited to see how I'll do in 2022!

Owls of 2021:

- Snowy Owl

- Great Grey Owl

- Great Horned Owl

- Northern Pygmy Owl

- Northern Saw Whet Owl

- Boreal Owl* (very rare)

- Short-eared Owl (favourite)

- Northern Hawk Owl

Missing:

- Barred Owl

- Long-eared Owl

- Eastern Screech Owl (rare)

- Burrowing Owl* (very rare) 

Robert, the Downy Woodpecker

I've also had up to eight species of bird eat from my hand in Calgary this fall. These include Black-capped Chickadees, Boreal Chickadees, Mountain Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Rock Pigeons. I am most excited about the Downy Woodpeckers and Black-billed Magpies, though!