Calgary Weather & Climate

Pack sunglasses. Summers are warm and dry, and even in winter Calgary has more hours of sunshine than any other major city in Canada. The famous "Chinook" (a mild westerly wind) brings a balmy, festive atmosphere to the city several times each winter.

Winters are typically clear and, on any given week, can be cold (lows reaching below -30°C) or mild (highs above 10°C) – and everything in between. Mercifully, cold snaps rarely last more than a week before warmer weather takes over. The weather changes fast from day to day and hour to hour, so come prepared for anything.

Summers are glorious with big blue skies and highs typically in the low-to-mid- twenties, occasionally surpassing 30°C. Evenings are cool and pleasant. Summer days are long – by late June the sun doesn't set until nearly 10:00 pm.

Falls are short with the first frost typically coming in mid-September. The snow flies as early as September, but generally doesn't stay on the ground until November.

Most of Calgary's precipitation comes in the spring – sometimes as rain and sometimes as snow. Snow dumps in early May are not unusual (spring skiing, anyone?) but mild weather is rarely more than a day or two away.