Deep freeze loosens its icy grip in Calgary revealing some new challenges

It's amazing how warm -10 C can feel after days where temperatures flirted with -40 C.

With the more moderate winter temperatures, many emerged from their homes to stretch their legs and breathe air that is far less piercing to their lungs.

That included Antarctic natives at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, the penguins. They took part in the penguin walk on Tuesday.

"We walk between -25 C and 5 C with wind less than 20 kilometres an hour," says Valerie Edwards, a zookeeper at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.

"If it’s too cold, that’s actually outside the parameters of our kings (penguins), so they start to get uncomfortable and they're going to start burning more calories than they can consume and stay healthy."

The penguin walk at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo on Jan. 16, 2024.

While the warmer temperatures are good for the penguins, they’re also having a negative effect on plumbing and roadways throughout Calgary.

Nellie McClung Elementary School in the community of Palliser in southwest Calgary had a pipe rupture due to the extreme cold the CBE said in a statement.

A large Vac-truck was on hand to help pull water out and the students will transition to online learning for the rest of the week.

Because of the extent of the damage, the CBE is making plans to have students continue in-person learning at other schools starting next week. It’s not clear if that will be necessary.

Pipes will burst when they're frozen by extreme cold, but the ruptures are often not noticed until they start to thaw, exposing the problem.

City streets are also likely to be unusually slick in places. The deep cold had the city road crews spreading gravel instead of salt mixtures which are ineffective in extreme temperatures.

The resulting hard-packed ice is about to get buried beneath snow from the incoming storm which could deliver between 10 and 20 centimetres by Thursday.

In places, snowplows may not be able to scrape down to asphalt level, and some ice may be hidden.

The city reminds everyone to leave extra time to get to their destination and to slow down on the road.