Dry weather: only 445 mm of rain and snow a year falls on Evanston, less than on 82% of Canadian towns
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 23.5°C on average. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 37°C. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 80% of Canadian towns. Comfortable outdoor weather, highs of 23–24°C, belongs to July and August.
1991–2020 normals from ECCC’s Calgary (Airport) location, 9.2 km south-east.
A year in Evanston at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Evanston’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in Evanston feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
About 193 frosts and 87 warm days a year
The frost season runs September to May, and December freezes nearly every night. Some 22 nights a year drop under −20°C.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
445 mm of precipitation in a typical year
June brings the most rain and snow; January, the least. On about 72 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 139 cm of snow a year
Snow falls from September to May, most of all in March (about 24 cm).
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Evanston
85% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
Each day the mean sits under 18°C adds its shortfall; a year’s total is its heating degree days. That means homes here need more heating than 68% of Canadian towns.
Living with Evanston’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
Wait until about 21 May to plant out; frost tends to come back around 18 September, about 119 days later.
Afternoons of 17–27°C and nights of at least 8°C arrive in Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →Winter brings about 42 days with a wind chill below −20.
Roughly 9 days a year feel hotter than 30 once humidity is counted.
Severe weather is a separate story from the averages: see Evanston’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Calgary (Airport)
Calgary (Airport) is a composite: ECCC joins 2 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 9.2 km south-east |
| Station altitude | 1,099 m |
| Completeness | at least 20 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −39.7°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 36.5°C |
| Average wind | 13.8 km/h on average, most often from the south |
| Next-nearest location | Sundre, 78 km |
How Evanston compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in Alberta.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share Evanston’s would only repeat its figures. Evanston has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 43–64 km out.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evanston Calgary (Airport) | 23.5°C | −13.5°C | 445 mm |
| Carstairs 43 km · Sundre | 22.8°C 0.7°C cooler | −18.0°C 4.5°C colder | 496 mm |
| Stoney 142, 143, 144 52 km · Banff | 22.5°C 1.0°C cooler | −13.5°C about the same | 454 mm |
| Wheatland County 64 km · Queenstown | 25.0°C 1.5°C warmer | −13.7°C about the same | 412 mm |
Evanston weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1.5°C | −13.5°C | −7.6°C | 10 mm | 17 cm |
| February | 0.1°C | −11.8°C | −5.9°C | 12 mm | 17 cm |
| March | 3.8°C | −8.1°C | −2.2°C | 18 mm | 24 cm |
| April | 10.8°C | −1.9°C | 4.5°C | 30 mm | 23 cm |
| May | 16.4°C | 3.4°C | 9.9°C | 61 mm | 10 cm |
| June | 19.7°C | 7.7°C | 13.7°C | 113 mm | under 1 cm |
| July | 23.5°C | 10.2°C | 16.9°C | 66 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 23.1°C | 9.2°C | 16.2°C | 54 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 18.3°C | 4.7°C | 11.5°C | 37 mm | 2 cm |
| October | 11.1°C | −1.3°C | 4.9°C | 17 mm | 12 cm |
| November | 4.1°C | −7.5°C | −1.7°C | 16 mm | 19 cm |
| December | −0.4°C | −12.1°C | −6.3°C | 13 mm | 16 cm |
| Year | 10.8°C | −1.8°C | 4.5°C | 445 mm | 139 cm |
The most changeable month: February, give or take 4.1°C; the steadiest, June
The thirty-year records stretch furthest in December: a low of −38.2°C in 1996 and a high of 19.5°C in 1999.
Where Evanston’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals, Calgary (Airport), 1991–2020.
- Comparisons: every place of 2,500+ in Canada but the city hubs and the reserves, each on its nearest ECCC location.
- Not on this page: sunshine, not in ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals, and the effect of the town’s height, for which there is no figure.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Evanston’s climate
How warm does Evanston get in summer?
Summer peaks in July: a typical afternoon reaches 23.5°C.
How cold does Evanston get in winter?
Lows sink to −13.5°C on an average January night.
How much rain and snow does Evanston get?
About 445 mm a year, rain and melted snow together. June is the wettest month (113 mm) and January the driest (10 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Around 93 days a year see 1 cm of snow or more lying.
Are these figures for Evanston itself?
They are the normals for Calgary (Airport), measured just outside Evanston itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Evanston →
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).