Photo: Joli Rumi · CC BY-SA 4.0Frosty mornings in Athabasca County outnumber those of 91% of Canadian towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 23.1°C. Some 42°C separates winter nights from summer afternoons. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 88% of Canadian towns. Heating does most of its work from October to April, in months below 10°C on average.
The nearest ECCC normals location is Lac la Biche, 70 km east: at that distance its figures describe the region more than Athabasca County itself.
A year in Athabasca County at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Athabasca County’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in Athabasca County feels like
Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.
202 frost days and 82 days above 20°C a year
Frost comes from September to May; in December almost every night freezes. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 41 nights a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
About 473 mm of rain and snow a year
July brings the most rain and snow; February, the least. Some 84 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Precipitation: Fort Saskatchewan, 103 km away (Lac la Biche records no complete year of it).
Heating a home in Athabasca County
88% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Heating degree days total each day’s gap between its mean temperature and 18°C. In heating terms, homes need more heating than 96% of Canadian towns.
Living with Athabasca County’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
The growing season between frosts lasts about 118 days, roughly 22 May to 17 September.
Plan time outside for Jun, Jul and Aug: highs of 17–27°C and nights no colder than 8°C.
Parks & trails →Expect around 65 days a year when the wind chill sinks below −20.
Plan shade and water for about 8 days a year above 30 on the humidex.
For the weather that does damage, from ice storms to floods, see Athabasca County’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Lac la Biche
Lac la Biche is a composite: ECCC joins 2 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 70 km east |
| Station altitude | 567 m |
| Completeness | at least 20 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Precipitation from | Fort Saskatchewan, 103 km |
| Snowfall from | No location within 100 km |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −46.6°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 34.7°C |
| Average wind | 9.6 km/h on average, most often from the south |
| Next-nearest location | Fort Saskatchewan, 103 km |
How Athabasca County compares
Placed among 2,611 Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+, each on its nearest normals location; each dot is another location used in Alberta.
Nearby towns’ climate
Places around Athabasca County whose figures come from another normals location. Athabasca County has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 54–77 km out.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athabasca County Lac la Biche | 23.1°C | −19.1°C | 473 mm |
| Thorhild County 54 km · Fort Saskatchewan | 23.6°C 0.5°C warmer | −17.8°C 1.3°C milder | 473 mm |
| Westlock County 73 km · Campsie | 23.5°C about the same | −19.0°C about the same | 466 mm |
Athabasca County weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and precipitation by month, 1991–2020.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −8.8°C | −19.1°C | −13.9°C | 30 mm |
| February | −5.2°C | −16.8°C | −11.0°C | 14 mm |
| March | 0.1°C | −11.2°C | −5.6°C | 22 mm |
| April | 9.2°C | −3.1°C | 3.1°C | 27 mm |
| May | 16.8°C | 3.4°C | 10.1°C | 49 mm |
| June | 20.6°C | 8.2°C | 14.5°C | 78 mm |
| July | 23.1°C | 11.2°C | 17.2°C | 82 mm |
| August | 21.9°C | 9.5°C | 15.7°C | 56 mm |
| September | 16.4°C | 4.6°C | 10.5°C | 39 mm |
| October | 8.2°C | −1.5°C | 3.4°C | 23 mm |
| November | −1.3°C | −9.7°C | −5.5°C | 29 mm |
| December | −7.4°C | −17.1°C | −12.3°C | 23 mm |
| Year | 7.8°C | −3.5°C | 2.2°C | 473 mm |
December varies most from one year to the next (4.6°C), June least
Records from 1991 to 2020: no month spans more than March, between −41.8°C (2009) and 17.6°C (2019).
Where Athabasca County’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 normals from ECCC for Lac la Biche, its nearest location with complete temperatures.
- Other locations: precipitation and snowfall come from the nearest location that publishes all twelve months of them, as named above.
- Comparisons: Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500, each placed by its nearest location (city totals and reserves excluded).
- Not on this page: snowfall (no location within 100 km publishes a full year of it), sunshine (none for 1991–2020) and an altitude correction.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Athabasca County’s climate
How warm does Athabasca County get in summer?
Highs reach 23.1°C on an average July day; no month is warmer.
How cold does Athabasca County get in winter?
January nights average −19.1°C, the coldest of the year.
How much rain and snow does Athabasca County get?
The year adds up to 473 mm. July is the peak month (82 mm) and February the low one (14 mm).
Are these figures for Athabasca County itself?
They are the figures for Lac la Biche, which read better as the region’s climate than Athabasca County’s own.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Athabasca County →
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).