Less rain and snow fall on Carlton than on 90% of Canadian towns: 423 mm a year
July afternoons average 23.5°C. The year is lopsided: July gets about 7.0 times what February does. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 80% of Canadian towns. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 10°C.
Figures: ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals for Edmonton (City) (6.0 km south-east).
A year in Carlton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Carlton’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in Carlton feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
179 frost days and 90 days above 20°C a year
The frost season runs September to May, and January freezes nearly every night. On about 24 nights a year the air falls below −20°C.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
Rain and melted snow: about 423 mm a year
About 72 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 124 cm of snow a year
Expect snow from October to May, with about 26 cm in January, the snowiest month.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Carlton
89% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
A heating degree day is one degree of shortfall below 18°C for one day, summed over the year. That means homes here need more heating than 76% of Canadian towns.
Living with Carlton’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
The growing season between frosts lasts about 141 days, roughly 7 May to 25 September.
Highs of 17–27°C with nights of 8°C or more come in Jun, Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →Winter brings about 50 days with a wind chill below −20.
Count on some 11 humid days a year with the humidex past 30.
Severe weather is a separate story from the averages: see Carlton’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Edmonton (City)
Edmonton (City) is a composite: ECCC joins 3 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 6.0 km south-east |
| Station altitude | 671 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −37.8°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 34.9°C |
| Average wind | 12.2 km/h on average, most often from the west |
| Next-nearest location | Fort Saskatchewan, 27 km |
How Carlton compares
Against the 2,611 Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, each read from its own normals location; the dots are the other locations those towns use in Alberta.
Nearby towns’ climate
Places around Carlton whose figures come from another normals location. The one place listed is 22 km from Carlton, the nearest with figures.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton Edmonton (City) | 23.5°C | −14.7°C | 423 mm |
| Fort Saskatchewan 22 km · Fort Saskatchewan | 23.6°C about the same | −17.8°C 3.1°C colder | 473 mm |
Carlton weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5.8°C | −14.7°C | −10.3°C | 20 mm | 26 cm |
| February | −3.0°C | −12.7°C | −7.9°C | 12 mm | 13 cm |
| March | 1.7°C | −7.8°C | −3.1°C | 17 mm | 19 cm |
| April | 10.4°C | −0.7°C | 4.9°C | 29 mm | 15 cm |
| May | 17.5°C | 5.6°C | 11.6°C | 44 mm | 5 cm |
| June | 21.0°C | 10.2°C | 15.6°C | 70 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23.5°C | 12.6°C | 18.1°C | 83 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 22.6°C | 11.3°C | 17.0°C | 61 mm | under 1 cm |
| September | 17.6°C | 6.2°C | 11.9°C | 39 mm | 1 cm |
| October | 10.0°C | −0.1°C | 5.0°C | 21 mm | 11 cm |
| November | 0.6°C | −7.5°C | −3.5°C | 18 mm | 20 cm |
| December | −4.7°C | −13.2°C | −9.0°C | 12 mm | 15 cm |
| Year | 9.3°C | −0.9°C | 4.2°C | 423 mm | 124 cm |
March has run from −34.0°C to 23.9°C in thirty years
Year to year, February varies most (a standard deviation of 4.2°C around −7.9°C) and June least (1.0°C).
Where Carlton’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: 1991–2020 normals for Edmonton (City) from ECCC’s climate data site, the nearest location with every month of temperature.
- Comparisons: the towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+ across Canada, each on its nearest normals location, without the city totals or the reserves.
- 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 Carlton’s climate
How warm does Carlton get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23.5°C.
How cold does Carlton get in winter?
Midwinter means January, when a typical night reaches −14.7°C.
How much rain and snow does Carlton get?
The year adds up to 423 mm. July is the peak month (83 mm) and February the low one (12 mm).
Are these figures for Carlton itself?
They are the normals for Edmonton (City), measured just outside Carlton itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Carlton →
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).