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Edmonton weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Up on the northern prairie, Edmonton swings between long, dry, deeply cold winters and warm, bright summers, and racks up some of the sunniest skies in Canada along the way. Edmonton weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+1.7°Chigh above average

13° / 4°Today
12° / 1°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+0.4°Caverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–49176frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 175 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 175 in the 1940s7days above 30°C a year now (2016–2025) · 4 in the 1940sdays above 30°C · 4 in the 1940s+0.4°C vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 23 mmhigh −8°low −16°February, rain 18 mmhigh −5°low −14°March, rain 21 mmhigh 1°low −9°April, rain 31 mmhigh 11°low −1°May, rain 58 mmhigh 18°low 5°June, rain 86 mmhigh 21°low 10°July, rain 86 mmhigh 24°low 12°August, rain 67 mmhigh 23°low 11°September, rain 44 mmhigh 18°low 6°October, rain 24 mmhigh 11°low 1°November, rain 23 mmhigh 0°low −7°December, rain 22 mmhigh −6°low −14°wettest month June, 86 mm · 505 mm a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Mostly clear

Right now

13.2°

8°feels like
28%humidity
−5°dew point
16 km/hfrom W
UV index1.6
sunrise08:07sunset18:30day length10h 23m
TodayClear13°4°
MonOvercast8°3°
TueClear13°0°
WedClear13°1°
ThuClear11°−1°
FriMostly clear8°3°
SatOvercast3°0°

On this date: October 18

Today (forecast)
13° / 4°
Average for October 18
12° / 1°

High above average · +1.7°C

  • Record high: 22.4° · 2022
  • Record low: −13.4° · 1991
  • One year ago: 13° / 3°

Every October 18 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 18 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Edmonton is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 53.55°N, 113.47°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
53.55°N, 113.47°W
Time zone
America/Edmonton
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

18 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +1.0°C.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Edmonton sits high on the Canadian Prairies in central Alberta, in the aspen parkland where open grassland gives way to boreal forest. Its humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) carries the full stamp of the continental interior: winters are cold and dry, summers warm and sunny. Far enough north for short winter days and long summer ones, the city nonetheless enjoys one of the sunnier climates in the country and a surprisingly long growing season for the latitude.

Summer is also the season for violent thunderstorms, which can drop large hail and torrential rain. The worst day in the city's memory came on 31 July 1987, when an F4 tornado, remembered ever since as the Black Friday tornado, tore up the eastern side of Edmonton and killed 27 people. Deep cold remains the great winter hazard, with Arctic air able to hold the city far below freezing for days on end.

The year peaks in July, at around 23.9°C by mid-afternoon, with nights around 12.1°C. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about −7.9°C and overnight lows sit around −16.3°C. Frost shows up on around 175 mornings a year.

In total, Edmonton averages about 505 mm of precipitation a year; June is usually the wettest month (86 mm) and February the driest (18 mm).

Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Edmonton has risen by 0.4°C between its first decade and its last. Recent years have brought more rain as well. The last decade sits roughly 10% over the long-term average.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comweather.gc.ca

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 30°C. Wettest month: June (~86 mm). Whole year averages ~505 mm of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 62 rainy days a year: most in July (~10), fewest in February (~3).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 2 mm per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Edmonton month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Record high/low are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightRecord highRecord low
January−7.9°−16.3°23 mm47.8 h12.8° (2024)−45.2° (2024)
February−4.6°−13.8°18 mm39.5 h14.1° (1988)−43.1° (1947)
March1.1°−8.6°21 mm311.5 h23.8° (2004)−37.0° (2009)
April10.9°−1.0°31 mm413.7 h28.8° (1977)−27.7° (1954)
May18.1°5.4°58 mm715.7 h31.8° (2025)−8.3° (1987)
June21.3°9.8°86 mm916.8 h35.9° (2021)−0.7° (1969)
July23.9°12.1°86 mm1016.3 h35.9° (2002)3.3° (2009)
August23.1°10.9°67 mm714.6 h33.5° (1940)−0.2° (1992)
September18.3°6.4°44 mm612.4 h34.1° (2009)−9.3° (1944)
October11.2°0.9°24 mm310.2 h27.7° (1980)−22.0° (1984)
November0.3°−7.5°23 mm38.3 h18.9° (2016)−35.3° (1963)
December−6.1°−14.0°22 mm37.2 h14.6° (1999)−41.4° (1977)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +0.4°C.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.10°C per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Dec–Feb is warming fastest: +0.31°C per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 30°C per year: 3.8 early in the record → 7.2 recently. Frost days: 175 → 176.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

All-time high in 2021, all-time low in 2024: 35.9°C / −45.2°C.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~505 mm/year on average. Last decade: +10% vs that average. Long-term trend: +8 mm per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Edmonton

Which is the warmest month in Edmonton?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Edmonton is July (mean daily temperature of about 17.6°C) and the coolest is January (about −12.6°C).
How does today's temperature in Edmonton compare to the historical average?
On October 18, 2026, Edmonton is forecast to reach a high of 13.3°C and a low of 3.8°C. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 11.6°C and a low of 0.8°C, so today's high is 1.7°C warmer than that average.
How much has Edmonton warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Edmonton is about 0.4°C warmer.
How much does it rain in Edmonton?
Edmonton receives about 505 mm of precipitation per year on long-term average, with June typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Edmonton?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Edmonton is about 3.4°C. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Edmonton by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Edmonton (°C, full record since 1940): January −8°/−16°, February −5°/−14°, March 1°/−9°, April 11°/−1°, May 18°/5°, June 21°/10°, July 24°/12°, August 23°/11°, September 18°/6°, October 11°/1°, November 0°/−7°, December −6°/−14°.
What is the weather like in Edmonton in summer?
Summer in Edmonton (June to August) is pleasantly warm. Afternoons run 21–24°C and nights 10–12°C; July is the warmest month. Rain falls on about 9 days a month, adding up to around 80 mm. No season is wetter.
What is the weather like in Edmonton in winter?
In winter, December through February, Edmonton is freezing. Expect −8 to −5°C by day and −16 to −14°C at night, with January the coldest month. Snow falls on about 3 days a month, adding up to around 21 mm of precipitation. No season is drier.
What is the weather like in Edmonton in spring?
Spring in Edmonton (March to May) is on the cool side. It warms from 1°C by day and −9°C at night in March to 18°C and 5°C in May. Rain and snow pick up through the season: 21 mm on 3 days in March, 58 mm on 7 days in May.
What is the weather like in Edmonton in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Edmonton, and it is on the cool side. It cools from 18°C by day and 6°C at night in September to 0°C and −7°C in November. Rain and snow fall off from 44 mm on 6 days in September to 23 mm on 3 days in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Edmonton?
On long-term average, Edmonton has about 62 days a year with at least 2 mm of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 505 mm.

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