Less rain and snow fall on Lake Bonavista than on 82% of Canadian towns: 445 mm a year
On a normal January night the air cools to about −13.5°C. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 80% of Canadian towns. Seasons differ by 37°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. For walks and days out, July and August bring highs of 23–24°C.
Figures: ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals for Calgary (Airport) (20 km north).
A year in Lake Bonavista at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Lake Bonavista’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in Lake Bonavista feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
About 193 frosts and 87 warm days a year
From September to May frost is routine, and in December it comes on almost every night. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 22 nights a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
Rain and melted snow: about 445 mm a year
The most falls in June, the least in January. About 72 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 139 cm of snow a year
The snow season runs September to May; March brings the most, about 24 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Lake Bonavista
85% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
ECCC sums, over the year, how many degrees each day’s average falls short of 18°C. Homes here need more heating than 68% of Canadian towns.
Living with Lake Bonavista’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
Tender plants are usually safe from around 21 May until frost returns near 18 September: about 119 days.
Highs of 17–27°C with nights of 8°C or more come in Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →About 42 days a year bring a wind chill under −20, when bare skin chills fast.
Plan shade and water for about 9 days a year above 30 on the humidex.
A typical year is calm by definition; Lake Bonavista’s hazards page covers the exceptions.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Calgary (Airport)
Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Calgary (Airport) are 2 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.
| Distance from the town | 20 km north |
| 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 | Queenstown, 84 km |
How Lake Bonavista 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
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on Lake Bonavista’s own would show the same figures). Distances here run 57–69 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Lake Bonavista.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Bonavista Calgary (Airport) | 23.5°C | −13.5°C | 445 mm |
| Wheatland County 57 km · Queenstown | 25.0°C 1.5°C warmer | −13.7°C about the same | 412 mm |
| Stoney 142, 143, 144 61 km · Banff | 22.5°C 1.0°C cooler | −13.5°C about the same | 454 mm |
| Carstairs 68 km · Sundre | 22.8°C 0.7°C cooler | −18.0°C 4.5°C colder | 496 mm |
| Nanton 69 km · Claresholm | 25.2°C 1.7°C warmer | −13.2°C about the same | 428 mm |
Lake Bonavista 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 | −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 |
From −38.2°C to 19.5°C: December’s coldest and warmest days since 1991
From one year to the next, February’s average typically shifts by 4.1°C around its normal of −5.9°C, the widest of any month, while June’s shifts by 1.1°C.
Where Lake Bonavista’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals for Calgary (Airport), the nearest location with a full year of temperatures.
- Comparisons: Canada’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+ (no city totals, no reserves), each through its own nearest 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 Lake Bonavista’s climate
How warm does Lake Bonavista get in summer?
Afternoons average 23.5°C in July, the warmest time of year.
How cold does Lake Bonavista get in winter?
Winter bottoms out in January, with lows near −13.5°C.
How much rain and snow does Lake Bonavista get?
The yearly total is about 445 mm. June gets 113 mm, the most of any month; January gets 10 mm, the least.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
On about 93 days a year the ground keeps at least 1 cm of snow.
Are these figures for Lake Bonavista itself?
Close to it: they are ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals for Calgary (Airport), just outside Lake Bonavista’s boundary.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Lake Bonavista →
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).