Hardly any Canadian towns collect less precipitation than Northern Lights County: 384 mm a year
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near −20.1°C. The wettest month is June; the driest is February. Frost is common: about 206 nights a year drop below freezing, more than in 96% of Canadian towns. The outdoor season runs from June to August, with highs of 21–23°C.
Northern Lights County has no ECCC normals station nearby: the figures come from Peace River, 64 km south, so read them as the wider area’s climate.
A year in Northern Lights County at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Northern Lights County’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in Northern Lights County feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
Frost on 206 days, 20°C on 79
From September to May frost is routine, and in January it comes on almost every night. Some 45 nights a year drop under −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 384 mm a year
On about 76 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 128 cm in a normal year
From September to May snow is likely; January is the peak, at about 25 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Northern Lights County
87% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: September 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 98% of Canadian towns.
Living with Northern Lights County’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
Frost usually lets go around 21 May and returns near 13 September, about 114 days apart.
Warm afternoons without cold nights, 17–27°C and 8°C or more, mark Jun, Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →Bitter wind chill, under −20, comes on about 78 days a year.
Count on some 6 humid days a year with the humidex past 30.
Averages smooth over blizzards, ice storms, floods and heat waves; Northern Lights County’s hazards page covers the risks.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Peace River
Peace River is a composite: ECCC joins 2 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 64 km south |
| Station altitude | 571 m |
| Completeness | at least 25 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −46.5°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 33.5°C |
| Average wind | 11.9 km/h on average, most often from the south-west |
| Next-nearest location | Red Earth, 135 km |
How Northern Lights County 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
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share Northern Lights County’s would only repeat its figures. No closer place has figures: this one lies 159 km from Northern Lights County.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Lights County Peace River | 22.7°C | −20.1°C | 384 mm |
| Saddle Hills County 159 km · Dawson Creek | 22.5°C about the same | −19.4°C 0.7°C milder | 421 mm |
Northern Lights County 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 | −9.9°C | −20.1°C | −15.0°C | 23 mm | 25 cm |
| February | −6.2°C | −17.2°C | −11.7°C | 13 mm | 16 cm |
| March | −0.5°C | −11.9°C | −6.2°C | 15 mm | 18 cm |
| April | 9.4°C | −2.9°C | 3.3°C | 19 mm | 11 cm |
| May | 17.1°C | 3.3°C | 10.2°C | 40 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 20.7°C | 8.1°C | 14.5°C | 68 mm | under 1 cm |
| July | 22.7°C | 9.9°C | 16.3°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 21.8°C | 8.2°C | 15.0°C | 43 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 16.3°C | 3.3°C | 9.8°C | 40 mm | 1 cm |
| October | 8.4°C | −2.7°C | 2.9°C | 21 mm | 9 cm |
| November | −2.5°C | −11.6°C | −7.1°C | 20 mm | 21 cm |
| December | −8.2°C | −18.1°C | −13.2°C | 20 mm | 24 cm |
| Year | 7.4°C | −4.3°C | 1.6°C | 384 mm | 128 cm |
Two years in three, December’s average lands within 4.9°C of normal, against the steadier June
April has the widest record range, −30.6°C in 2020 to 28.4°C in 2016; the tick on each bar is the month’s normal.
Where Northern Lights County’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals for Peace River, the nearest location with a full year of temperatures.
- Comparisons: the 2,500-plus towns and neighbourhoods of Canada, each read from its closest normals location; whole cities and reserves aren’t counted.
- 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 Northern Lights County’s climate
How warm does Northern Lights County get in summer?
Peak warmth comes in July, at about 22.7°C by mid-afternoon.
How cold does Northern Lights County get in winter?
Overnight lows average −20.1°C in January, the coldest month.
How much rain and snow does Northern Lights County get?
Rain and snow add up to about 384 mm of water a year; June brings the most (68 mm), February the least (13 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
In a normal winter there are about 141 days with at least 1 cm of snow lying.
Are these figures for Northern Lights County itself?
No: they come from Peace River, the nearest ECCC normals location, and far enough away to describe the wider area more than Northern Lights County.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Northern Lights County →
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).