What is the weather or climate like in Edmonton?

With about 2,300 hours of bright sunshine per year, Edmonton is one of Canada's sunniest cities.

Summer days are warm and long, with sunshine lasting as long as 17 hours per day and temperature averaging 17 degrees Celsius and even exceeding 30 degrees Celsius for a handful of days. The long summer days are the perfect setting for Edmonton’s many summer festivals

Winter days are often sunny too. Aside from relatively brief cold snaps, you'll find the winters quite tolerable with temperatures averaging -11 degrees Celsius in January. Edmontonians embrace the winter months with many outdoor activities including skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, skating, and tobogganing and celebrate with the winter-long Winter Light festival.

Related Stories

  • 100-Mile Diet
    One-hundred-mile diet-wise, I grew up doing that in Nova Scotia. That’s the way we lived. When I started doing it in Edmonton, it created a greater sense of community with the surrounding area.
  • A Strange Way of Growing On You User submitted story
    We were living in Tanzania when our young son decided he wanted to do nanotechnology. I found that the University of Alberta would be starting this program. But where was this place called Edmonton?
  • All-Season City Story has video
    Sunny and Ishpreet Lamba weren't sold on the move to Edmonton until they realized the lifestyle advantages. For Sunny and Ishpreet, Edmonton is an all-season city.
  • An Aussie in Edmonton User submitted story
    The day the temperature reached an inconceivable -36 C, I stayed in bed and missed class. (They say only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. I say only mad Canadians go out in those temperatures.) Luckily for my studies, that only happened once during the first winter.
  • An Unusual Move
    Obviously moving to Edmonton is a little bit unusual for someone who had it as good as I did.
  • Canada Day Criterium Story has video
    Host of the Canada Day Criterium, the Edmonton Juventus Cycling Club offers great riding and racing opportunities to all age groups. Members are beginner to national team level cyclists who enjoy track cycling, mountain biking, and cycle cross and road racing.
  • Cappuccino Affair User submitted story
    This story/poem occurred on April 29, 2000. That is a very important fact as the cafe I mention is no longer opened. This captures a special moment I had in Edmonton.
  • Coincidence? Maybe not... User submitted story
    I couldn't find the location of the studio; the way the whole address system works was totally new to me. I was about to give up when something in the back of my mind told me to look one last time.
  • Coming Home User submitted story
    I admit there are times when I miss the ocean and green of the rainforest, but the constant sunshine is a bright reminder of why I love this area of Canada.
  • Enduring an Edmonton Winter: Curling User submitted story
    There are 2 types of curlers: one half conferences around the TSN curling broadcast and makes comments like, “Boy, that yellow rock is sure buried deep”; the other half watches a game out on the ice and strategizes, “If it were me, I’d have Linda peel that guard so that Terry doesn’t have a chance to score 2 and take it into extras.”
  • First Snow in Canada User submitted story
    I heard that Edmonton, Alberta has one of the coldest and longest winters, which is approximately half of the year. In my mind, that's absurd! Impossible!
  • Fun on Ice Story has video
    On, February 15, 2010, the Edmontonstories team went to the Edmonton Speed Skating Association’s Fun on Ice event at Victoria Oval. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day for this event. Families, couples, and speed skating fanatics skated around the oval enjoying the warm sunshine.
  • Gateway of Happy Arrival User submitted story
    Moving to Edmonton was only logical for me. I had long lived in the Northwest Territories, traveling to Edmonton for conferences, medical appointments, meetings, shopping and departures for exotic holidays.
  • I Didn't Even Notice the Cold
    My favourite season is Edmonton winters because that’s when I can watch hockey. It’s my favourite sport. I'm a big fan.
  • Jasper Magpies User submitted story
    I consider the magpies of downtown Edmonton to be companions of sorts. Spring, summer, winter, or fall - the little pranksters can usually found dipping and weaving like feathered kites down the city.
  • Leaving Edmonton User submitted story
    Several years ago on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, my husband and I left our home on the East Coast of Canada to drive to Edmonton for work.
  • Life Journey User submitted story
    When I was young I had a dream of being a pilot but this dream was not possible because in my country there was lots of fighting. People have been fighting in Afghanistan for over 30 years.
  • Making Good News
    I’d always been in the river valley. I’d been in it every day, canoed it, gone up and down it in a Zodiac.
  • Mill Creek Miscellany User submitted story
    Growing up next to Mill Creek Ravine can teach you a thing or two about life. Colin recalls his never-ending creekside adventures.
  • No Need for Comparison User submitted story
    People would often ask me, "Whoa, California!? Why did you come back?"
  • Our Great City: Then and Now User submitted story
    I remember when my Dad was working on the Fort Edmonton replica when they were first building it. My Mom and a sister and a brother used to go and take him supper up that way sometimes.
  • Outdoor Culture
    I wanted to get back out West, where people like to do outdoor things. That’s how I ended up here.
  • Paralympian User submitted story
    I live a “walk and roll” lifestyle. Some days I feel good to walk and others I’ll take to the chair, ergo: “Sonny and Chair.” Sorry, bad wheelchair joke.
  • Peace in the Dog Park Story has video User submitted story
    Edmonton is a vibrant community with many hidden treasures. I find my peace at a local dog park. Mill Woods is a south-side neighborhood with great restaurants and walking trails.
  • People Can Live In Ice?
    When I saw the snow, I remembered how we used to learn about the Inuit in my geography textbooks back in Cameroon. And I thought to myself, “So it’s really true. People can live in ice.”
  • Pragmatism User submitted story
    Edmontonians have a reputation as pragmatists, so it is maybe not surprising that one of the things Edmonton does best (maybe better than anywhere else) is handling garbage.
  • Ribbon of Green Story has video User submitted story
    For me, Edmonton has always been a wonderful, marvelous place to call home.
  • Running Through the River Valley User submitted story
    The sun is a crimson promise on the horizon as we set off on our jog through the River Valley. I hate running, but I love cheesecake. I need to do one to have the other.
  • Seven Seas Apart User submitted story
    This is a story of similarities and differences; connection and disconnect; familiarity and fear of the unknown.
  • Something for Every Taste User submitted story
    This event shows the true character of hockey fans in Edmonton. Minus 27 with an extreme wind chill and we still put 57,167 cold but excited butts in the seats.
  • Spring Tryouts
    Imagine 4 football players in a car driving 48 hours nonstop to get here for spring camp. It was a cheap way to go, only about $700 for the car, gas and everything between Quebec City and Edmonton.
  • Stories From The Bench
    The guys took care of my car and took me to the hospital and took care of that stretch of things. They’d been debating which hospital was the best to go to while I was still on the ice. There was a familiarity to it.
  • Subtle Aspects User submitted story
    Having grown up in Edmonton and lived here my whole life, I've learned what I love the most about this city is what it’s not in comparison to other cities of the world.
  • Summer at the Alberta Legislature Story has video
    Edmontonians know how to embrace the city’s long, warm summer days – they head to the cooling waters of the pools and fountains at Edmonton’s Alberta Legislature Grounds.
  • Sunshine Sketches of a Beautiful City User submitted story
    Looking for the best place on earth to live? Then focus your Google Earth search on north Edmonton and hone in on Beaumaris Lake.
  • Taking in Our River Valley User submitted story
    Flowing glacially in a traffic jam of metallic snails, I am a mesmerized sightseer in the comfort of my vehicle, just letting the sweeping river valley panorama impress me for a prolonged IMAX sensation.
  • The Bay of Canola Fields User submitted story
    I pulled over, turned off my car and stared out into the horizon. The endlessness, the openness, that feeling of no limits lifted my heart and waves of content swept away my doubts.
  • The Trip Across User submitted story
    I will never forget the look on our collie’s face at the sight. What the heck have you gotten me into? I wondered that myself.
  • The Years at TELUS Field User submitted story
    Got my Sprite. Got my soft pretzel. And one of my favorite players, Valentino Pascucchi, is up to bat. This...this is the life.
  • There's No Place like HOME! User submitted story
    Over the 17 years while I was abroad, I was asked where was home. Edmonton was always the answer. Funny how that is. I’ve lived in a lot of exotic places, but my family is all here, my best friends are here and even with some new additions, the city is still the same.
  • Three Gentle Men User submitted story
    I always had this feeling like there was something or someone very important here, so I decided it was what was needed to be done, even though I was leaving all my friends back in Saskatoon.
  • Trees Like Crystal User submitted story
    When I stepped off the plane it was January 21, 1999 and it was -28. It was soooo cold my whole body went into shock till I got to my dad’s house. But that all disappeared the next day when it started to snow.
  • Art Walk Story has video
    The Art Walk is an event where over 300 artists paint and draw on Whyte Avenue for 3 days.
  • Don't Diss Edmonton
    Edmonton surprises people. Look at our TV industry. We have a really strong independent film community here. And we’ve got a really strong industry community here actively engaged in the arts business.
  • Five Years Ago User submitted story
    Late one night sometime in February 2004 my 2 siblings, my Dad and myself arrived at the Edmonton International Airport. “It's Canada at last!!!!” I said to myself with joy and some tears in my eyes.
  • Most Rewarding Job
    I said initially that it doesn’t really matter where I land. I just need to find the right job. But flying into Edmonton and seeing the scenery here, I thought, “You know if I end up here...holy cow is it gorgeous.”
  • Northern Lights
    I’m a big believer in the idea that science should be something that’s understandable to the average person. I hope to impact Edmontonians with the research that’s being done in space science in this city.
  • The Aprikat Beer Story Story has video
    The first apricot beer we tried was Pyramid Breweries’ Apricot Ale. It was a hot summer day and we were at a pub somewhere in Montana. We remember thinking, “Wow, we’ve got to try something like this ourselves.”
  • The Choice Was Clear User submitted story
    My first impression came from the people in Edmonton. There are people here from every country in the world who’ve come to better themselves and you don’t feel like an outsider because the city is made up of such a diverse population.
  • Why You Get Into Medicine
    That’s really why everybody gets into medicine, or at least that’s why everybody says they get into medicine.
  • A Memorable Journey to Edmonton User submitted story
    Read some entries Catherine wrote in her diary during her stay in Edmonton. She was visiting from Chengdu in China's Sichuan province. Her friends call her Rabbit.
  • A Resident of Edmonton As A Plant User submitted story
    I grew out of one of Edmonton’s lush ravines, a quiet place. A place that cultivated my roots at my most absorbent phase of life. A place, much like the rest of Edmonton, that is sensitive to the changing seasons.
  • Edmonton Int'l Street Performers Festival Story has video
    If you’re a street performer or a fan of street performers, coming to Edmonton is a must. This festival celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2009, and has entertained 4 million visitors in that time.
  • Edmonton is Not Cold User submitted story
    Oh, it's cold there! Really cold! This was the only thing I heard about Edmonton when I told people in Toronto that I was going to be the Writer in Exile in Edmonton for 1 year. I was scared of the cold in Edmonton.
  • Meeting the Love of my Life at WEM...Who Knew? User submitted story
    It was during my first visit to Edmonton that I met the love of my life. Back in April 1996, I was at the tail end of a vacation with friends.
  • Picture This Story has video
    What do a South African caricaturist and the City of Edmonton IT Department have in common? Read how visual facilitation and an open and honest approach help the city keep it real.
  • The Legislature Through the Seasons Story has audio User submitted story
    This is an audio piece about the Alberta Legislature and the way it brings people in the city together through the seasons.
  • The Rule of a Royal Dog User submitted story
    Royal dog Cadence is refined in bearing and temperament, yet, as is the practice of tyrants, becomes agitated when his whims are not fulfilled.

Brought to you by the City of Edmonton & Edmonton Economic Development Corporation