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Climate in the Canadian Rockies
When planning a trip to the Canadian Rockies, be sure to account for the wide range of weather that can potentially greet you. It is no coincidence that visitor activities in the Canadian Rockies are as varied as the region's climate. A year in the Canadian Rockies would give a visitor a taste of everything in terms of weather and recreation. The summer sees sunny, warm days for such things as hiking, biking, golfing, camping, and climbing. The winter brings crisp, snowy days for tracking, skating, and alpine and nordic skiing.
While the weather is extremely variable, it is possible to make some generalizations about the weather in the Canadian Rockies. July is the warmest, with average highs of 22°C (71F) in the Town of Banff on the Eastern slopes and 26°C (79F) on BC's warmer Western ranges. January is the coldest month with average lows of -15°C (5F) in the Banff area and -12°C (11F) in the BC Rockies, though the mercury can easily drop into the minus thirties. The relative dryness of the air in the Rockies, however, makes even extreme temperatures more bearable. The presence of Chinooks also makes winter more pleasant as they sweep in spring-like conditions several times over the course of a normal winter. It is not uncommon for the temperature to change more than 30° in a matter of hours.
In winter, visitors must be especially careful of wind chill. A temperature of -20° on the thermometer may feel like -30° with the wind chill. Regardless of the season, the temperature will fall about 1° for every 200m of elevation gain.
The length of the day in the Rockies varies greatly throughout the year. Daylight can last as little as eight hours in December. At the end of June, the sun rises at 5:30 am and sets at 10:00 pm.
The tables below give more detailed information about temperatures, precipitation and sunlight for the Town of Banff and the Cranbrook region (representative of the Columbia Valley).
Banff Average Seasonal Weather
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Ave High (°C/F)
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Ave Low (°C/F)
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Ave Rainfall (mm)
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Ave Snowfall (cm)
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Hours of Sun per day
|
| Jan |
-5.3 / 22.5 |
-14.9 / 5.2 |
2.4 |
38.2 |
8.1 |
| Feb |
0.1 / 32.2 |
-11.3 / 11.7 |
1.7 |
30.0 |
10.0 |
| Mar |
3.8 / 38.8 |
-7.9 / 17.8 |
1.6 |
27.0 |
12.0 |
| Apr |
9.0 / 48.2 |
-2.8 / 27.0 |
10.6 |
26.3 |
14.0 |
| May |
14.2 / 57.6 |
1.5 / 34.7 |
42.4 |
17.1 |
15.5 |
| Jun |
18.7 / 65.7 |
5.4 / 41.7 |
58.4 |
1.7 |
16.5 |
| Jul |
22.1 / 71.8 |
7.4 / 45.3 |
51.1 |
0.0 |
16.0 |
| Aug |
21.6 / 70.9 |
6.8 / 44.2 |
51.2 |
0.0 |
14.5 |
| Sep |
16.1 / 61.0 |
2.7 / 36.9 |
37.7 |
7.0 |
12.7 |
| Oct |
10.1 / 50.2 |
-1.1 / 30.0 |
15.4 |
18.9 |
10.7 |
| Nov |
0.5 / 32.9 |
-8.2 / 17.2 |
6.0 |
33.6 |
9.0 |
| Dec |
-5.3 / 22.5 |
-13.8 / 7.2 |
2.8 |
43.9 |
7.8 |
Cranbrook Average Seasonal Weather
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Ave High (°C/F)
|
Ave Low (°C/F)
|
Ave Rainfall (mm)
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Ave Snowfall (cm)
|
Hours of Sun per day
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| Jan |
-3.2 / 26.2 |
-11.8 / 10.8 |
4.3 |
33.0 |
8.1 |
| Feb |
1.5 / 34.7 |
-8.4 / 16.9 |
4.3 |
22.0 |
10.0 |
| Mar |
7.1 / 44.8 |
-3.8 / 25.2 |
8.9 |
13.8 |
12.0 |
| Apr |
12.8 / 55.0 |
0.2 / 32.4 |
21.7 |
5.8 |
14.0 |
| May |
17.7 / 63.9 |
4.6 / 40.3 |
42.6 |
0.7 |
15.5 |
| Jun |
21.6 / 70.9 |
8.2 / 46.8 |
52.7 |
0.0 |
16.5 |
| Jul |
25.6 / 78.1 |
10.9 / 51.6 |
38.2 |
0.0 |
16.0 |
| Aug |
25.4 / 77.7 |
10.2 / 50.4 |
31.6 |
0.0 |
14.5 |
| Sep |
19.6 / 67.3 |
5.1 / 41.2 |
27.3 |
1.4 |
12.7 |
| Oct |
11.7 / 53.1 |
-0.3 / 31.5 |
15.8 |
3.2 |
10.7 |
| Nov |
2.3 / 36.1 |
-5.5 / 22.1 |
16.7 |
24.0 |
9.0 |
| Dec |
-3.1 / 26.4 |
-10.8 / 12.6 |
6.7 |
36.0 |
7.8 |
Real-Time Weather Forecasts and Snow Reports
Towns
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Ski Resorts
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| Banff, AB |
Sunshine Village, AB |
| Canmore, AB |
Lake Louise, AB |
| Lake Louise, AB |
Mount Norquay, AB |
| Jasper, AB |
Nakiska, AB |
| Waterton, AB |
Fortress Mountain, AB |
| Golden, BC |
Marmot Basin, AB |
| Radium Hot Springs, BC |
Castle Mountain, AB |
| Invermere, BC |
Panorama, BC |
| Fairmont Hot Springs, BC |
Kimberley, BC |
| Nelson, BC |
Fernie, BC |
| Cranbrook, BC |
Kicking Horse Resort, BC |
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Avalanches
Avalanches are a particular snow hazard in mountainous areas such as the Canadian Rockies. Traveling through the backcountry immediately after a heavy snowfall can be beautiful, but it can also be very dangerous. In the day or so following such a snowfall, the snow has not had time to settle, and is very unstable prime avalanche time. In early spring, there is the danger of climax avalanches. When the snow has accumulated to maximum depths and is beginning to melt, the whole depth of a snowpack may come down in an avalanche.
Educate yourself about the dangers of avalanches. Find out about the latest avalanche conditions before skiing or hiking in areas and conditions of avalanche risk. Reports are available by calling the Canadian Avalanche Centre at 1-800-667-1105 or the Banff Warden Service at 762-1460 (recorded message).
Avalanche reports for the different areas of the Canadian Rockies can also be found online... Avalanche Report
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