Calgary Weather

Calgary is a mountain-high city, and the climate - directly related to the altitude - is dry. Temperatures are mild, especially when compared to most of Canada, and even when it’s cold, it’s usually sunny.

In fact, the sun shines an average of 332.9 days every year, making Calgary the sunniest major city in the country.

But Calgary weather is definitely unpredictable.

In the summer, the skies are generally blue and temperatures can soar into the low 30s Celsius. It almost always cools off comfortably at night.

Autumn can be long and magnificent; spring is a celebration because it seems to take forever to arrive, and winter is usually pleasant by Canadian standards, with temperatures staying in the deep freeze for only a few weeks of the year.

The most distinctive characteristic of a Calgary winter is the Chinook: a warm, moist wind from the Pacific Ocean that can raise the temperature by as much as 15 degrees in a few hours. When the dark Chinook arch appears in the western sky, the warm wind is about to blow in.

That means that one day you might be wearing your winter jacket, the next, a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

View the long range weather forecast.

Climate & Weather Facts

Summer Temperature (June – Aug.)

Daily Average: 15.2C (59.4F)

Daily Maximum: 21.9C (71.4F)

Winter Temperature (Dec. – Feb.)

Daily average: -7.5C (18.5F)

Daily maximum: -1.4C (29.5F)

Precipitation

Rainfall per year is 321mm (12.6 inches)

Snowfall per year is 127cm (50 inches)

Source: Environment Canada