Terry Wickham, who has been co-ordinating the outdoor Folk Festival for nearly four decades, says this year’s event has likely been the hardest to plan because Edmonton has seen record-breaking rainfall. “The festival site has taken over two feet of rain since June, so it’s very damp there right now,” Wickham said Tuesday, ahead of the four-day event’s first day on Thursday. More tornadoes than usual have also touched down across Alberta due to the severe weather. This past weekend, a rainstorm forced Edmonton’s Heritage Festival to reduce hours due to more high winds and wet weather. “Edmontonians have experienced an extraordinary summer of severe weather,” she said.