Record-setting heat in Edmonton to start May

Edmonton has set a new daily record high for May 1.

The previous record was 26.7 C on May 1, 1931.

The Blatchford weather station in the city has reached 28.7 C as of 4 p.m. and will likely climb even higher late in the afternoon.

And the heat doesn't end after Monday.

This first week of May might end up as the hottest start to the month in the past 30 years.

The projected average high for May 1-7 in Edmonton is 26 C. That'll be very close to the scorching start to May in 2016 (average high of 25.8 C).

In the past three decades, that's the only other year with an average high above 22 C in the first week of May.

If you look at those Top 5 hottest starts to May, you'll notice four of them are within the past decade.

In fact, while the long-term average high for the first week of May is 15 C, that's climbed to 17 C in the past 10 years and the average high for that timeframe in the past sever years in 18 C.