Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Edmonton International CS , Alta. CanadaAt Edmonton International CS , Alta., the summers are long, comfortable, and partly cloudy and the winters are frigid, snowy, windy, and mostly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 2°F to 74°F and is rarely below -22°F or above 83°F. Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Edmonton International CS , Alta. for warm-weather activities is from early July to mid August. Average Temperature at Edmonton International CS , Alta.The warm season lasts for 4.2 months, from May 12 to September 18, with an average daily high temperature above 63°F. The hottest month of the year at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is July, with an average high of 73°F and low of 51°F. The cold season lasts for 3.6 months, from November 18 to March 5, with an average daily high temperature below 30°F. The coldest month of the year at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is January, with an average low of 3°F and high of 20°F.
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. Hnaberd, Armenia (5,818 miles away); Miass, Russia (4,948 miles); and Kapsan-ŭp, North Korea (4,956 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Edmonton International CS , Alta. (view comparison). CloudsAt Edmonton International CS , Alta., the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year at Edmonton International CS , Alta. begins around June 16 and lasts for 3.9 months, ending around October 12. The clearest month of the year at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 58% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around October 12 and lasts for 8.1 months, ending around June 16. The cloudiest month of the year at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 66% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days at Edmonton International CS , Alta. varies significantly throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 3.9 months, from May 9 to September 6, with a greater than 21% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is June, with an average of 10.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 8.1 months, from September 6 to May 9. The month with the fewest wet days at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is February, with an average of 1.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation at Edmonton International CS , Alta. changes throughout the year. Rain alone is the most common for 7.3 months, from March 25 to November 3. The month with the most days of rain alone at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is June, with an average of 10.0 days. Snow alone is the most common for 4.7 months, from November 3 to March 25. The month with the most days of snow alone at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is January, with an average of 2.3 days.
RainfallTo show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Edmonton International CS , Alta. experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 6.2 months, from April 6 to October 11, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is July, with an average rainfall of 2.7 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 5.8 months, from October 11 to April 6. The month with the least rain at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is December, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.
SnowfallAs with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Edmonton International CS , Alta. experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall. The snowy period of the year lasts for 7.1 months, from October 5 to May 8, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is March, with an average snowfall of 3.2 inches. The snowless period of the year lasts for 4.9 months, from May 8 to October 5. The least snow falls around July 19, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.
SunThe length of the day at Edmonton International CS , Alta. varies extremely over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 7 hours, 30 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 17 hours, 0 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 5:05 AM on June 17, and the latest sunrise is 3 hours, 44 minutes later at 8:49 AM on December 29. The earliest sunset is at 4:15 PM on December 12, and the latest sunset is 5 hours, 51 minutes later at 10:06 PM on June 23. Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at Edmonton International CS , Alta. during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3. The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation. MoonThe figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. HumidityWe base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night. The perceived humidity level at Edmonton International CS , Alta., as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, staying within 1% of 1% throughout.
WindThis section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages. The average hourly wind speed at Edmonton International CS , Alta. experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 8.5 months, from September 16 to May 31, with average wind speeds of more than 9.1 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 10.3 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 3.5 months, from May 31 to September 16. The calmest month of the year at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.0 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction at Edmonton International CS , Alta. varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the north for 2.9 weeks, from May 6 to May 26, with a peak percentage of 28% on May 6. The wind is most often from the west for 11 months, from May 26 to May 6, with a peak percentage of 51% on January 1. Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is at Edmonton International CS , Alta. throughout the year, we compute two travel scores. The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Edmonton International CS , Alta. for general outdoor tourist activities is from early July to mid August, with a peak score in the last week of July. Tourism Score at Edmonton International CS , Alta.The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Edmonton International CS , Alta. for hot-weather activities is from mid July to mid August, with a peak score in the last week of July. Beach/Pool Score at Edmonton International CS , Alta.MethodologyFor each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed. Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies. Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more. Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter. Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter. Growing SeasonDefinitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere). The growing season at Edmonton International CS , Alta. typically lasts for 3.8 months (118 days), from around May 19 to around September 14, rarely starting before April 30 or after June 8, and rarely ending before August 26 or after October 2. Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F. Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms at Edmonton International CS , Alta. should appear around May 10, only rarely appearing before April 30 or after May 21. Solar EnergyThis section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.7 months, from April 27 to August 18, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.4 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is July, with an average of 6.4 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from October 25 to February 14, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.9 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Edmonton International CS , Alta. is December, with an average of 0.8 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Edmonton International CS , Alta. are 53.300 deg latitude, -113.600 deg longitude, and 2,313 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Edmonton International CS , Alta. is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 95 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 2,322 feet. Within 10 miles is essentially flat (515 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,453 feet). The area within 2 miles of Edmonton International CS , Alta. is covered by cropland (98%), within 10 miles by cropland (93%), and within 50 miles by cropland (81%) and trees (12%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather at Edmonton International CS , Alta., based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointEdmonton International CS , Alta. has a weather station that reported reliably enough during the analysis period that we have included it in our network. When available, historical temperature and dew point measurements are taken directly from this weather station. These records are obtained from NOAA's Integrated Surface Hourly data set, falling back on ICAO METAR records as required. In the case of missing or erroneous measurements from this station, we fall back on records from nearby stations, adjusted according to typical seasonal and diurnal intra-station differences. For a given day of the year and hour of the day, the fallback station is selected to minimize the prediction error over the years for which there are measurements for both stations. The stations on which we may fall back include but are not limited to Edmonton International Airport; Edmonton Municipal CR10 , Alta.; Edmonton City Centre Airport; CFB Edmonton; Oliver AGDM; Edmonton Stony Plain Alta.; Elk Island National Park; and Camrose. Other DataAll data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database . Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com . Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors. DisclaimerThe information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page. |