Hardly any Canadian towns wake to more frost than Rutherford
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 23.0°C. A year here swings 41°C from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 90% of Canadian towns. An umbrella or a shovel earns its place on about 78 days a year with 1 mm or more.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals at its Edmonton (Airport) station, 11 km south.
A year in Rutherford at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Rutherford’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in Rutherford feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
211 frost days and 90 days above 20°C a year
The frost season runs September to May, and January freezes nearly every night. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 38 nights a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
434 mm of precipitation in a typical year
The most falls in July, the least in February.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 127 cm in a normal year
From October to May snow is likely; January is the peak, at about 24 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Rutherford
87% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Each day the mean sits under 18°C adds its shortfall; a year’s total is its heating degree days. A house here needs more heating than 93% of Canadian towns.
Living with Rutherford’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
From about 27 May to 10 September the garden is usually clear of frost, some 105 days.
The outdoor season by the averages is Jul, with highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →Frostbite weather, a wind chill under −20, turns up on about 67 days a year.
Plan shade and water for about 11 days a year above 30 on the humidex.
A normal year has no blizzard, flood or heat wave in it; Rutherford’s hazards page looks at those.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Edmonton (Airport)
Edmonton (Airport) is a composite: ECCC joins 3 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 11 km south |
| Station altitude | 723 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −46.1°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 35.6°C |
| Average wind | 12.5 km/h on average, most often from the south |
| Next-nearest location | Edmonton (City), 17 km |
How Rutherford 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
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on Rutherford’s own would show the same figures). The one place listed is 12 km from Rutherford, the nearest with figures.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford Edmonton (Airport) | 23.0°C | −18.1°C | 434 mm |
| Edmonton 12 km · Edmonton (City) | 23.5°C 0.5°C warmer | −14.7°C 3.4°C milder | 423 mm |
Rutherford 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 | −6.5°C | −18.1°C | −12.3°C | 22 mm | 24 cm |
| February | −4.1°C | −16.6°C | −10.4°C | 12 mm | 14 cm |
| March | 0.5°C | −11.2°C | −5.3°C | 17 mm | 19 cm |
| April | 10.1°C | −3.2°C | 3.5°C | 30 mm | 16 cm |
| May | 17.6°C | 2.7°C | 10.1°C | 47 mm | 6 cm |
| June | 20.7°C | 7.5°C | 14.1°C | 75 mm | under 1 cm |
| July | 23.0°C | 9.4°C | 16.2°C | 87 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 22.4°C | 7.8°C | 15.1°C | 53 mm | under 1 cm |
| September | 17.8°C | 2.8°C | 10.3°C | 35 mm | 1 cm |
| October | 10.0°C | −3.3°C | 3.4°C | 22 mm | 10 cm |
| November | 0.2°C | −10.6°C | −5.2°C | 20 mm | 19 cm |
| December | −5.3°C | −16.7°C | −11.0°C | 15 mm | 16 cm |
| Year | 8.9°C | −4.1°C | 2.4°C | 434 mm | 127 cm |
February strays furthest from its normal year to year, by 4.3°C; June the least
Over 1991–2020, March saw both −42.7°C (2009) and 24.2°C (2004), the widest span of any month.
Where Rutherford’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s normals for Edmonton (Airport), 1991–2020, chosen as the nearest location with a full temperature record.
- Comparisons: every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 or more, each read from its own nearest location; city totals and reserves are left out.
- Not on this page: sunshine, which none of ECCC’s 450 locations publishes for 1991–2020, and the town’s own height above sea level, so no figure is adjusted for altitude.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Rutherford’s climate
How warm does Rutherford get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23.0°C.
How cold does Rutherford get in winter?
The year’s coldest nights belong to January, at about −18.1°C.
How much rain and snow does Rutherford get?
The year adds up to 434 mm. July is the peak month (87 mm) and February the low one (12 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Around 145 days a year see 1 cm of snow or more lying.
Are these figures for Rutherford itself?
They are the normals for Edmonton (Airport), measured just outside Rutherford itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Rutherford →
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).