10 hours ago
Rainy weather in Calgary forces Saturday plans to pivot
With stormy weather rolling into Calgary on Friday night, the downpour continued into Saturday — raining on a full parade of events.
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According to Todd Bate, senior meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the Calgary area has seen 71 millimetres of rain into Saturday afternoon, with more on the way. This comes after the ECCC's projected forecast of 40-80 mm.
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Wind levels in the city came as a bit of a surprise.
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'The wind was perhaps slightly stronger than expected. We were expecting gusts of 40 to 60 kilometres an hour, and we ended up with gusts of 70,' Bate said.
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With a busy Saturday of events planned around the city, many were forced to adapt to the stormy conditions.
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With the forecast coming in on Friday, WinSport postponed the opening of its bike park ahead of time, opting to push the start of its season to Tuesday.
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Similarly, Sport Calgary's All Sport One day — a youth sport discovery event — faced numerous changes as a result of the rain, with three locations no longer hosting activities and a host of other activities being relocated or cancelled. These mostly included outdoor sports like soccer, field hockey and frisbee.
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'There actually weren't many cancellations, which was amazing considering the forecast. It was a great day, actually' said Catriona Le May Doan, president and CEO of Sport Calgary. 'It was great that we could pivot.'
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The Mega Bounce Run event hosted by Race Roster was also cancelled, with the rain and wind making its inflatable obstacle courses potentially unsafe.
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The MS Bike event from Airdrie to Olds was affected, with the cycling portion of the event cancelled due to weather conditions. Participants were invited to join other planned festivities at Olds College, including the indoor beer gardens, dinner and programs.
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The event will continue as planned on Sunday, with cyclists making their way from Olds College back to Airdrie.
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Confluence Historic Site & Parkland held its annual Walk for Reconciliation Saturday morning in the pouring rain, with nearly 200 people in attendance. Heritage Park also celebrated National Indigenous Day with a traditional powwow.
