Photo: Connorbrown22 · CC BY-SA 4.0Precipitation in High River trails that of 82% of Canadian towns: 445 mm a year
Sunny July days climb to about 23.5°C. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 80% of Canadian towns. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 37°C apart. Plan time outside for July and August, when highs sit at 23–24°C.
High River has no ECCC normals station nearby: the figures come from Calgary (Airport), 61 km north, so read them as the wider area’s climate.
A year in High River at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about High River’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in High River feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
193 frost days and 87 days above 20°C a year
Frost comes from September to May; in December almost every night freezes. 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
445 mm of precipitation in a typical year
The most falls in June, the least in January. Some 72 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 139 cm in a normal year
From September to May snow is likely; March 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 High River
85% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
One degree below 18°C for one day makes one heating degree day; the year’s days are added together. Homes here need more heating than 68% of Canadian towns.
Living with High River’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
Frost usually lets go around 21 May and returns near 18 September, about 119 days apart.
For long days outdoors, Jul and Aug bring highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →A wind chill below −20 is part of about 42 days a year here.
Humid summer days, the humidex above 30, number about 9 a year.
The normals describe a typical year, not its worst days; the hazards page covers High River’s.
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 | 61 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, 63 km |
How High River 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
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share High River’s would only repeat its figures. High River has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 27–64 km out.
High River weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| 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 |
The month with the widest range: December, −38.2°C to 19.5°C
Bars run from each month’s record low to its record high over 1991–2020; February is the month whose average wanders most from year to year (±4.1°C around −5.9°C), June the one that wanders least (±1.1°C).
Where High River’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: 1991–2020 normals for Calgary (Airport) from ECCC’s climate data site, the nearest location with every month of temperature.
- Comparisons: all Canadian places of 2,500 or more except city totals and reserves, each read the same way.
- 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 High River’s climate
How warm does High River get in summer?
Expect highs near 23.5°C in July, the hottest month on average.
How cold does High River get in winter?
Midwinter means January, when a typical night reaches −13.5°C.
How much rain and snow does High River get?
Precipitation totals 445 mm a year, with June the wettest month (113 mm) and January the driest (10 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Roughly 93 days a year start with snow cover of 1 cm or more.
Are these figures for High River itself?
No: they come from Calgary (Airport), the nearest ECCC normals location, and far enough away to describe the wider area more than High River.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for High River →
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).