Photo: Yoshio Kohara · CC BY 3.0Banff is among the frostiest of Canadian towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 22.5°C. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 96% of Canadian towns. Precipitation follows the seasons: June brings about 3.9 times as much as February. Heating does most of its work from September to May, in months below 10°C on average.
1991–2020 normals from ECCC’s Banff location, 1.8 km north-east.
A year in Banff at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Banff’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in Banff feels like
Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.
About 220 frosts and 67 warm days a year
Frost comes from August to June; in December almost every night freezes. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 23 nights a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
About 454 mm of rain and snow a year
Some 91 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 184 cm in a normal year
The snow season runs September to June; April brings the most, about 30 cm. 5th snowiest of 474 towns of 2,500+ in Alberta.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Heating a home in Banff
82% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: September to May.
A heating degree day is one degree of shortfall below 18°C for one day, summed over the year. Over a year, a home here needs more heating than 83% of Canadian towns.
Living with Banff’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
The growing season between frosts lasts about 64 days, roughly 19 June to 23 August.
No month here brings highs of 17–27°C together with nights of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →Count on some 39 days a year when the wind makes it feel below −20.
On some 3 days a year the humidex climbs past 30.
What averages leave out, the floods and ice storms, is on Banff’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Banff
Banff is a composite: ECCC joins 3 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 1.8 km north-east |
| Station altitude | 1,397 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −44.2°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 34.2°C |
| Average wind | 8.2 km/h on average, most often from the south-west |
| Next-nearest location | Sundre, 91 km |
How Banff 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 Banff whose figures come from another normals location. The nearest places to Banff with figures are 76–98 km away.
Banff weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature, rain and snow (as water) and snowfall by month, 1991–2020.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3.5°C | −13.5°C | −8.5°C | 19 mm | 21 cm |
| February | −0.5°C | −12.6°C | −6.6°C | 19 mm | 20 cm |
| March | 3.7°C | −8.2°C | −2.2°C | 29 mm | 25 cm |
| April | 9.0°C | −3.5°C | 2.8°C | 39 mm | 30 cm |
| May | 14.3°C | 0.5°C | 7.4°C | 50 mm | 12 cm |
| June | 17.9°C | 4.4°C | 11.2°C | 73 mm | 2 cm |
| July | 22.5°C | 6.8°C | 14.7°C | 47 mm | under 1 cm |
| August | 22.1°C | 5.8°C | 14.0°C | 47 mm | under 1 cm |
| September | 16.7°C | 2.2°C | 9.4°C | 45 mm | 8 cm |
| October | 9.1°C | −2.4°C | 3.4°C | 36 mm | 17 cm |
| November | 0.6°C | −8.2°C | −3.8°C | 28 mm | 25 cm |
| December | −4.6°C | −13.4°C | −9.0°C | 23 mm | 23 cm |
| Year | 8.9°C | −3.5°C | 2.7°C | 454 mm | 184 cm |
Two years in three, February’s average lands within 4.1°C of normal, against the steadier June
Over 1991–2020, March saw both −38.5°C (2019) and 20.0°C (2004), the widest span of any month.
Where Banff’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the Canadian Climate Normals, 1991–2020, at Banff (the closest location with all twelve months of temperatures).
- 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: sunshine, absent from every 1991–2020 location, and an altitude correction, for want of the town’s own elevation.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Banff’s climate
How warm does Banff get in summer?
The warmest month is July, when afternoons average 22.5°C.
How cold does Banff get in winter?
Expect nights around −13.5°C in January; no month is colder.
How much rain and snow does Banff get?
Count on roughly 454 mm a year, heaviest in June (73 mm) and lightest in February (19 mm).
Are these figures for Banff itself?
Nearly: Banff, the location behind them, sits just beyond Banff’s boundary.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Banff →
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).