record warm temperature in Calgary
© Drew Anderson/CBCThe ice that covered the Bow River just a few days ago has begun to thaw, thanks to consecutive days of above-zero temperatures in Calgary.
Warm weather broke over a dozen temperature records across Alberta on Tuesday, including in Edmonton.

The last record high temperature for Feb. 9 was set at 5.9 C at the Edmonton International Airport in 1995. On Tuesday, temperatures reached 7.9 C, setting a new record.

Temperature records were also broken in Brooks, Calgary, Claresholm, Drumheller, Grande Prairie, Jasper, Lethbridge, Lloydminster, Medicine Hat, Peace River, Sundre and at the Waterton Park Gate.

Colin Fong, meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the above average seasonal temperatures - which normally sit at -3.8 for this time of year - are caused by a ridge of high pressure.

"That ridge is just kind of ushering in that warm air from the south, keeping at bay all of those weather systems from the west," said Fong, keeping skies clear and temperatures warm.

"The highs are definitely on the good side of history, but as we see that ridge breaking down we're going to see that trend towards more of the normal," warned Fong.

Fong said temperatures would hover around 0 C on Wednesday when the ridge of high pressure breaks down, with periods of snow Wednesday night and into Thursday.

"It's going to be a bit of a seesaw between precipitation, in this case snow, and clear skies as we head into the weekend," Fong said.

While the warm weather may be a welcome break for some, for others it couldn't have come at a worse time.

The Canadian Birkenbeiner Ski Festival that was supposed to run this weekend was cancelled - only the fourth time since the festival began in 1985 - leaving around a thousand registered skiers out in the cold when it comes to their registration fees.

However, the Vikings Feast and Birkie Boogie is still going on this Saturday at the County of Strathcona Community Centre, with tickets still on sale until Wednesday night.

Edmonton's Ice Castle is still standing in Hawrelak Park, but organizers warned it may not last as long as expected. The Ice Castle was originally scheduled to be open until March, but warm temperatures have organizers predicting the acre-sized Ice Castle may close to the public by the end of February.

Organizers of the 10-day Silver Skate Festival opening in Hawrelak Park on Friday remain unfazed by recent warm weather, planning to adapt as needed.

Festival producer Erin Di Loreto said it wasn't the first time in the festival's 26 year history where the weather has warmed, adding sunny weather has sometimes helped bring more people out to the festival. Last year, more than 85,000 people attended the Silver Skate Festival.

Students in the University of Alberta's environmental instrumentation course took advantage of the weather to install research-grade weather stations on top of the Tory building, gaining valuable hands-on experience.