Canadian Rockies Weather

Canadian Rockies Weather

Canada's Rocky Mountain weather systems are extremely unpredictable due to high elevations, rugged topography and our areas proximity to the continental divide.

Elevations of prominent points and towns

Location	Altitude (metres)	Altitude (feet)
Golden	785	2574
Rogers Pass	1,327	4,340
Kicking Horse Pass	1,650	5,340
Lake Louise (Village)	1,540	5,052
Lake Louise (Lake)	1,731	5,680
Banff	1,384	4,540
Bow Summit **	2,067	6.780
Jasper	1,061	3,478
Calgary	1,077	3,531

** highest point on the icefield parkway between Banff and Jasper

General Weather Overview

The Summer climate (July/August) brings low humidity, warm temperatures and extended daylight hours lasting until 11:00 p.m. at the height of the summer equinox.

The Autumn season (Sept/Oct) sees a diminishing of the daylight hours and warm days with cooling evening winds. The first snows beings to fall on the Canadian Rockies sometime in November (though it can and does snow whenever nature dictates - we have had majour blizzards leave several feet of snow in mid-summer). The snow is usually staying for the winter by Nov. with the first of several winter storms coming in from the Pacific providing the Rockies with its blanketing of snow and the arrival of ski season. Sometime during the month of December/January the Rockies usually experience a brief two week cold snap with temperatures plummeting into the low -30 degree C/F range but the average temperature during the winter months is around -12º C (6º F).

Luckily throughout the winter months, Banff and areas west and south regularly receive a welcome weather phenomenon, Chinooks, which can produce spring like temperatures in a matter of hours.

Spring begins sometime in March but the snow stays until mid April when rain and warming temperatures melt winter away from the valleys - snow does not leave the mountain passes until mid summer. May and June are the Rockies rainy periods though we have awoke in May to foot of snow - While the average precipitation is relatively low during this time, snowmelt pushes the rivers to their crests.

The UV rating for Banff and surrounding area is usually high to extremely high throughout the year. Because of our altitude and the suns angle of incidence in our section of the world, people tend to burn much faster than usual -- bring along sunscreen, a shade hat and a pair of sunglasses.

AVERAGE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THE ROCKIES

AVERAGES	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JULY	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC
Daily Hi (ºC)	-5.3	0.1	3.8	9.0	14.2	18.7	22.1	21.6	16.1	10.1	0.5	-5.3
Daily Lo (ºC)	-14.9	-11.3	-7.9	-2.8	1.5	5.4	7.4	6.8	2.7	-1.1	-8.2	-13.8
Rainfall (mm)	2.4	1.7	1.6	10.5	42.4	58.4	51.1	51.2	37.7	15.4	6.0	2.8
Snowfall (cm)	38.2	30.0	27.0	26.3	17.1	1.7	0.0	0.0	7.0	18.9	33.6	43.9
Days with measurable precipitation	12	10	11	11	13	14	13	13	12	9	10	12
Hrs of Sunlight	8.1	10.0	12.0	14.0	15.5	16.5	16.0	14.5	12.7	10.7	9.0	7.8

Alberta 5 Day Official Forecasts

British Columbia 5 Day Official Forecasts

Road Reports by AMA