E dmonton Weather.Net

Edmonton Weather

Edmonton weather qualifies as dry humid continental climate. While the city does not have the types of winters that other Canadian cities have, it does have cold ones in comparison to what most people are accustomed to. The reason why Edmonton does have milder winters than cities like Winnipeg or Regina (both which are located north of Edmonton) is that the city of Edmonton is further west and can therefore benefit from the warmer winds that come from the Pacific Ocean. Edmonton weather can be described as having cold winters and warm summers which in some cases can hit the higher numbers in the thermometer. The seasons are well defined and people expect the warm days to happen from late April until mid to late September.

Getting Warmer

Though an average summer in Edmonton weather will see temperatures hardly ever going above 30 C or 86 degrees Fahrenheit (about 4 times a year), recent trends show that the city may be getting warmer. The year of 2006 for example surprised a lot of the residents of Edmonton as they got a total 24 days which were above the 29 C (84 F) mark. The good news is that there is not much humidity in Edmonton weather, so the temperatures though higher than what the city sees are not as unbearable as they can get in other places in Canada. The highest recorded temperature since records have been kept for Edmonton happened in 1998 and it was 38.3 C (100.9 F).

Precipitation

Edmonton weather is dry and does not see much rain. The yearly average for the city of Edmonton is only 365.7 mm (14.40 inches) of rain. While that is not much rain, Edmonton weather does have a rainy season. You will see the heaviest rains as the summer starts and they will last all the way to late September. Once September ends it is almost as if someone turned off the rain as the dry season starts in October. July is the month that sees the most rain while February and March are the driest. The city does see its fair amounts of drought but heavy rains which can be called extreme for the area also happen from time to time.

Extreme Weather

When the rain becomes heavier in Edmonton weather you can sometimes see some extreme storms. Though the city only sees 365.7 millimeters of rain per year, a storm in late July of 1953 dropped 114 mm in one day. That type of rainfall is not normal in the area, but heavy rain can happen. Another thing to be aware of is the summer thunderstorms of Edmonton weather. It seems that every year a storm is powerful enough to create large hail and powerful winds. You may not think of the city of Edmonton as part of Tornado Alley, but tornadoes are not unheard of in this area. Back in 1987 the city saw an F4 tornado which killed 27 people and caused a lot of damage. The people in the city of Edmonton refer to this event as Black Friday.

Average Temperatures

As you may expect, the average temperature for Edmonton weather is low. The yearly average for the city of Edmonton is only 2.7 C (37 F). Even in the summer you may need a sweater during the day and definitely at night. The hottest month is July with an average high temperature of 22.77 C (73 F) while the average low in the same month is 11.66 C (53 F). January is the coldest month in Edmonton weather when the temperatures reach an average high of -8.33 C (17 F) and the low average is -17.22 C (1 F). December sees the lowest amount of sunshine hours with 2.6 hours per day, while July gets close to 10 hours per day.

Best Time To Visit

If you are visiting the city of Edmonton then the best time to do so is still the summer. While the chances for a powerful storm are higher in the summer the great temperatures coupled with the very low humidity make is a great time to visit. You are more likely to have clear days than to see a powerful storm, and even storms usually pass rather quickly. The spring in Edmonton weather is not bad either if you do not mind the cooler temperatures. You will have most clear days during this time and the late spring is when the festivals start in the city. The winter is not recommended as the cool temperatures are too much for most visitors.