Photo: Qyd · CC BY 2.5Ice on the ground: Drayton Valley sees more frosts than 90% of Canadian towns
July afternoons average 23.1°C. Seasons differ by 38°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 88% of Canadian towns. About 88 days a year bring 1 mm of precipitation or more.
The nearest ECCC normals location to Drayton Valley is Breton, 33 km east, and every figure on this page is its.
A year in Drayton Valley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Drayton Valley’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in Drayton Valley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 201 frosts and 83 warm days a year
From September to May frost is routine, and in January it comes on almost every night. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 26 nights a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
About 499 mm of rain and snow a year
July is the wettest month and December the driest. 8th wettest of 478 towns of 2,500+ in Alberta.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 166 cm in a normal year
The snow season runs September to May; January brings the most, about 32 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Heating a home in Drayton Valley
86% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s mean temperature falls below 18°C over a year. That means homes here need more heating than 81% of Canadian towns.
Living with Drayton Valley’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
Warm afternoons without cold nights, 17–27°C and 8°C or more, mark Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →Averages smooth over blizzards, ice storms, floods and heat waves; Drayton Valley’s hazards page covers the risks.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Breton
The page’s figures are ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals for Breton, one of its 450 normals locations.
| Distance from the town | 33 km east |
| Station altitude | 843 m |
| Completeness | at least 20 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −40.5°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 35.0°C |
| Next-nearest location | Edmonton (Airport), 93 km |
How Drayton Valley 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
Places around Drayton Valley whose figures come from another normals location. Drayton Valley has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 68–78 km out.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drayton Valley Breton | 23.1°C | −15.2°C | 499 mm |
| Parkland County 68 km · Edmonton (City) | 23.5°C about the same | −14.7°C 0.5°C milder | 423 mm |
| Lac Ste. Anne County 74 km · Campsie | 23.5°C about the same | −19.0°C 3.8°C colder | 466 mm |
| Calmar 78 km · Edmonton (Airport) | 23.0°C about the same | −18.1°C 2.9°C colder | 434 mm |
Drayton Valley 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 | −4.3°C | −15.2°C | −9.8°C | 20 mm | 32 cm |
| February | −1.3°C | −12.8°C | −7.1°C | 15 mm | 18 cm |
| March | 2.4°C | −9.2°C | −3.4°C | 18 mm | 25 cm |
| April | 10.3°C | −2.0°C | 4.3°C | 29 mm | 17 cm |
| May | 16.7°C | 3.4°C | 10.0°C | 60 mm | 6 cm |
| June | 20.1°C | 7.8°C | 14.0°C | 86 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23.1°C | 10.2°C | 16.7°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 22.1°C | 9.1°C | 15.6°C | 69 mm | under 1 cm |
| September | 17.8°C | 4.5°C | 11.1°C | 42 mm | 2 cm |
| October | 10.1°C | −1.5°C | 4.3°C | 22 mm | 12 cm |
| November | 1.4°C | −8.4°C | −3.7°C | 23 mm | 30 cm |
| December | −3.6°C | −14.0°C | −8.5°C | 13 mm | 24 cm |
| Year | 9.6°C | −2.4°C | 3.6°C | 499 mm | 166 cm |
March has run from −37.5°C to 22.5°C in thirty years
From one year to the next, December’s average typically shifts by 4.6°C around its normal of −8.5°C, the widest of any month, while June’s shifts by 0.9°C.
Where Drayton Valley’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the Canadian Climate Normals, 1991–2020, at Breton (the closest location with all twelve months of temperatures).
- 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 (no 1991–2020 normals exist for it) and any altitude adjustment, since there is no elevation for the town itself.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Drayton Valley’s climate
How warm does Drayton Valley get in summer?
Peak warmth comes in July, at about 23.1°C by mid-afternoon.
How cold does Drayton Valley get in winter?
A typical January night falls to −15.2°C, the year’s low point.
How much rain and snow does Drayton Valley get?
Measured as water, a year brings 499 mm: 102 mm in July, the wettest month, and 13 mm in December, the driest.
Are these figures for Drayton Valley itself?
No, the station behind them is Breton, beyond Drayton Valley’s boundary.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Drayton Valley →
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).