What Is The Climate Like In Edmonton?
The climate in Edmonton, according to the Koppen Climate Classification, is officially referred to as a Dfb climate. This means that it has a continental climate (D), no rainy or dry season (f), and a warm summer (b).
A continental climate is one of five classifications in the Koppen Climate Classification, the others being tropical (A), dry (B), temperate (C) and Polar (E). Tropical weather is generally warm and rainy, dry weather has little precipitation, and polar weather is very cold. Temperate and continental are both known for being a real mixed bag, with temperate being on the warmer side, and continental being cooler. Both of them require at least one month where the average temperature is above 10 C (50 F), with the difference being that a temperate climate’s coldest month will still have an average temperature above 0 C (32 F), and continental doesn’t. Both of these, especially continental climates, are known for having each of the four seasons being very distinct, with summers being hot, and winters being cold. Continental climates are also usually the only ones where leaves change several different colours in the fall. These climates are also known for having extreme weather events, such as tornadoes and thunderstorms more often than any of the other types of climate.
The (f) means that there is no major difference between the amount of precipitation in winter and summer. It should be noted that in this case, summer refers to the months of April through September, with winter referring to the months of October through March. Dry winter (w) and dry summer (s) are the other possible categories that continental climates have.
The final third letter, (b), refers to warm summer, which means that at least four months average 10 C (50 F), but no month has an average temperature above 22 C (72 F). If it had fewer than four months with an average temperature above 10 C (50 F), it would be given the title of cold summer (c), and if it had at least one month with an average temperature above 22 C (72 F) with would have been considered a hot summer (a).
What Is Everyday Weather Like In Edmonton?
Being one of the cities in the prairies, Edmonton has more extreme temperatures than many other places. The summers can be relatively warm, but most of the extremes come in the winter when even the daily highs tend to be below freezing. This means that there is snow pretty much all winter, and even large amounts of spring and fall will have snow. Snow in May, while being somewhat unusual, is not unheard of. Wind speed is relatively moderate year round, with the average wind speed being around 10 km/h regardless of the season.
What Is Spring Like In Edmonton?
Spring in Edmonton is extremely varied. In March, snow is still the most prominent precipitation, with the average high still being near freezing, and lows at around -10 C (23 F). Cloud cover and average humidity will both be just over 70%. However, if you’re someone who likes warmer weather, these conditions improve quickly, as April highs are closer to 10 C, with lows usually hovering closer to freezing, and rain becoming more prominent than snow. By May, things have improved even more, with highs averaging almost 20 C (68F) and lows averaging out into the single-digit positives, with hardly any snow appearing all month. Cloud cover and humidity have also both been lowered to about 55% at this point, leading to a much sunnier experience.
What Is Summer Like In Edmonton?
Summer (June, July and August) is a relatively stable time as far as averages go. Throughout all three months, most days will have highs between 20 C (68 F) and 25 C (77 F), with most days having lows in the vicinity of 10 C (50 F). Humidity will generally hover in the area of 60%, although as always, there are outliers, with cloud cover averaging from 45% – 55%, depending on the year. However, one very unstable thing is the amount of rain, with July often getting over 110 mm of rain on average, almost double that of August, with June landing almost directly in between, with numbers usually in the 80s.
What Is Fall Like In Edmonton?
Like with most cities, fall in Edmonton is very similar to spring, except in reverse. In September, the temperature, cloud cover, and humidity will be very similar to the summer months, but by the end of November, highs in the negatives become the norm, and most precipitation in November will be snow. Cloud cover will also often increase as September, October and November move on, both humidity and cloud cover will increase to 70% and 80% respectively by the end of November. In early fall, leaves will change colour, as is normal in continental climates. Snow will be rare in September, start to fall somewhat consistently in October, and be the prominent form of precipitation by November.
What Is Winter Like In Edmonton?
Unsurprisingly, winters in Edmonton are quite cold, with highs often ranging from -5 C (23 F) and -10 C (14 F). Lows will average around -15 C (5 F) throughout the entire season. There will be an average of about 90 cm of snow on average in December, with it lowering to about 50 cm in February. Clr will average out to about 70% each month, with humidity at around 80%.
Is Edmonton For Me?
There are certainly people who will feel at home in Edmonton, but it’s not for everyone. If you prefer slightly cooler destinations throughout the year, with summer being a particularly warm exception, Edmonton is probably a good place for you. There also isn’t very much precipitation, and the wind is generally moderate, meaning that disruptions such as storms are generally not very common, especially compared to other continental climates. Those looking for a place without extreme storms, but willing to deal with a large variety of temperatures will probably feel very at home in Edmonton.