Saddle Hills County has some of the coolest summers among Canadian towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near −19.4°C. By frosts alone, it ranks colder than 95% of Canadian towns. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 42°C. Heating does most of its work from October to May, in months below 10°C on average.
The nearest ECCC normals location to Saddle Hills County is Dawson Creek, 48 km south-west, and every figure on this page is its.
A year in Saddle Hills County at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Saddle Hills County’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in Saddle Hills County feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
Frost on 204 days, 20°C on 77
Frost comes from August to May; in January almost every night freezes. 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 421 mm a year
July is the wettest month and April the driest. On about 80 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 177 cm in a normal year
Expect snow from September to May, with about 34 cm in January, the snowiest month. 7th snowiest of 475 towns of 2,500+ in Alberta.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Heating a home in Saddle Hills County
86% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
Behind the figure: the degrees each day’s mean falls under 18°C, summed for the year. Over a year, a home here needs more heating than 97% of Canadian towns.
Living with Saddle Hills County’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
A normal year gives the garden about 84 frost-free days, roughly 5 June to 29 August.
Mild days and mild nights together (17–27°C by day, 8°C or more at night) belong to Jul.
Parks & trails →A typical year is calm by definition; Saddle Hills County’s hazards page covers the exceptions.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Dawson Creek
Dawson Creek is a composite: ECCC joins 2 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 48 km south-west |
| Station altitude | 655 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −49.2°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 35.0°C |
| Next-nearest location | Fort St. John, 83 km |
How Saddle Hills County 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 Saddle Hills County’s own would show the same figures). Distances here run 57–77 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Saddle Hills County.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saddle Hills County Dawson Creek | 22.5°C | −19.4°C | 421 mm |
| Clear Hills 57 km · Peace River | 22.7°C about the same | −20.1°C 0.7°C colder | 384 mm |
| Taylor 77 km · Fort St. John | 21.7°C 0.8°C cooler | −16.7°C 2.7°C milder | 464 mm |
Saddle Hills 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 | −7.6°C | −19.4°C | −13.5°C | 28 mm | 34 cm |
| February | −3.6°C | −15.8°C | −9.7°C | 19 mm | 23 cm |
| March | 0.3°C | −11.4°C | −5.6°C | 22 mm | 28 cm |
| April | 9.6°C | −3.2°C | 3.2°C | 19 mm | 13 cm |
| May | 16.6°C | 2.2°C | 9.4°C | 32 mm | 4 cm |
| June | 20.3°C | 7.2°C | 13.8°C | 57 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 22.5°C | 9.2°C | 15.9°C | 80 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 21.7°C | 7.3°C | 14.5°C | 49 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 16.7°C | 3.6°C | 10.1°C | 38 mm | 3 cm |
| October | 9.2°C | −2.2°C | 3.5°C | 27 mm | 15 cm |
| November | −0.4°C | −11.2°C | −5.8°C | 29 mm | 29 cm |
| December | −5.2°C | −16.3°C | −10.8°C | 22 mm | 27 cm |
| Year | 8.3°C | −4.2°C | 2.1°C | 421 mm | 177 cm |
January has run from −48.0°C to 16.6°C in thirty years
Year to year, January varies most (a standard deviation of 5.1°C around −13.5°C) and June least (0.9°C).
Where Saddle Hills County’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s normals for Dawson Creek, 1991–2020, chosen as the nearest location with a full temperature record.
- 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: sunshine, absent from every 1991–2020 location, and an altitude correction, for want of the town’s own elevation.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Saddle Hills County’s climate
How warm does Saddle Hills County get in summer?
On a normal day in July the thermometer climbs to 22.5°C, the warmest of the year.
How cold does Saddle Hills County get in winter?
January nights average −19.4°C, the coldest of the year.
How much rain and snow does Saddle Hills County get?
Rain and snow add up to about 421 mm of water a year; July brings the most (80 mm), April the least (19 mm).
Are these figures for Saddle Hills County itself?
No, they come from Dawson Creek; ECCC keeps no 1991–2020 normals in Saddle Hills County itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Saddle Hills 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).