S
pring: march - June
Temperatures warm during the spring months, but several cold and stormy periods can
still prevail. There have been occasions when April averages colder temperatures than March. Precipitation drops in the late winter and early spring and increases again in May and June. The month with the greatest flood potential is June. Some of the heaviest 24-hour precipitation occurred in June 1964, when 6-7 inches of rain fell from Glacier National Park south to near Gibson Dam. During this storm, up to a foot of rain fell, this produced major flooding and severe damage to infrastructure. Swift Dam, west of Dupuyer, failed during this major rain- producing storm. In June, warming temperatures rapidly melt snow, and strong spring storms may dump heavy precipitation or produce thunderstorms, which increase in frequency throughout the spring months. Thunderstorms also have the potential to spawn large hail and strong, gusty winds. One storm in June 1955 produced 6.30 inches of rain in southwestern Alberta. Average wind speeds slowly decrease during the spring months. Over some areas west of the divide, average speeds peak in March and April, but are still lighter than the east side.
94
Crown of the Continent