Photo: Carl Young · CC BY-SA 4.0High Level sits near the bottom of Canadian towns for winter warmth
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 23.3°C on average. Expect the most rain and snow in July and the least in April. Its yearly rain and snow fall short of 97% of Canadian towns. Plan for rain or snow on about 74 days a year, the days with 1 mm or more.
Figures: ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals for High Level (12 km north).
A year in High Level at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about High Level’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in High Level feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
222 frost days and 81 days above 20°C a year
The frost season runs September to May, and January freezes nearly every night. On about 77 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 360 mm a year
470th wettest of 478 towns of 2,500+ in Alberta.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 154 cm in a normal year
Snow falls from September to May, most of all in December (about 29 cm).
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in High Level
88% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: September to May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s mean temperature falls below 18°C over a year. A house here needs more heating than almost every Canadian town.
Living with High Level’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
Frost usually lets go around 30 May and returns near 6 September, about 98 days apart.
Warm afternoons without cold nights, 17–27°C and 8°C or more, mark Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →On some 95 days a year the wind chill drops past −20; mitts and a scarf earn their place.
Summer brings about 7 days when the humidex passes 30.
Averages smooth over blizzards, ice storms, floods and heat waves; High Level’s hazards page covers the risks.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: High Level
Behind the 1991–2020 normals for High Level are 2 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.
| Distance from the town | 12 km north |
| Station altitude | 338 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | Yes |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −48.8°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 33.7°C |
| Average wind | 8.2 km/h on average, most often from the north |
| Next-nearest location | Garden River, 191 km |
How High Level 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 High Level’s own would show the same figures). The nearest place to High Level with figures is 152 km away.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Level | 23.3°C | −25.0°C | 360 mm |
| Fox Lake 162 152 km · Garden River | 25.0°C 1.7°C warmer | −25.5°C 0.5°C colder | 360 mm |
High Level weather by month
Month by month, 1991–2020: the usual high, low and mean, the rain and snow, and the snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −14.6°C | −25.0°C | −19.8°C | 20 mm | 27 cm |
| February | −10.2°C | −22.5°C | −16.3°C | 16 mm | 21 cm |
| March | −2.6°C | −16.2°C | −9.4°C | 17 mm | 23 cm |
| April | 8.4°C | −4.9°C | 1.7°C | 15 mm | 11 cm |
| May | 16.8°C | 2.1°C | 9.5°C | 29 mm | 3 cm |
| June | 21.5°C | 7.8°C | 14.7°C | 55 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23.3°C | 10.3°C | 16.8°C | 73 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 21.5°C | 8.1°C | 14.8°C | 42 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 15.4°C | 2.6°C | 9.0°C | 35 mm | 2 cm |
| October | 5.8°C | −4.0°C | 0.9°C | 19 mm | 11 cm |
| November | −6.5°C | −15.5°C | −11.1°C | 21 mm | 28 cm |
| December | −13.1°C | −23.1°C | −18.1°C | 20 mm | 29 cm |
| Year | 5.5°C | −6.7°C | −0.6°C | 360 mm | 154 cm |
December: −46.0°C at its coldest, 14.2°C at its warmest
Year to year, December varies most (a standard deviation of 3.9°C around −18.1°C) and June least (0.8°C).
Where High Level’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 normals from ECCC for High Level, its nearest location with complete temperatures.
- Comparisons: Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500, each placed by its nearest location (city totals and reserves excluded).
- Not on this page: hours of sunshine, missing from the 1991–2020 normals, and a height correction: the town has no elevation on file.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about High Level’s climate
How warm does High Level get in summer?
Peak warmth comes in July, at about 23.3°C by mid-afternoon.
How cold does High Level get in winter?
A typical January night falls to −25.0°C, the year’s low point.
How much rain and snow does High Level get?
July is the wettest month at 73 mm and April the driest at 15 mm, for 360 mm over the year.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
About 169 days a year have 1 cm of snow or more on the ground.
Are these figures for High Level itself?
Nearly: High Level, the location behind them, sits just beyond High Level’s boundary.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for High Level →
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).