Photo: Kevlar67 · Public domainSmoky Lake County is among the driest of Canadian towns: 388 mm of rain and snow a year
On a normal January night the air cools to about −19.1°C. About 202 nights a year bring a frost, more than in 91% of Canadian towns. Seasons differ by 42°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Windshields need scraping on about 202 mornings a year, the days the air reaches 0°C or below.
Far-off figures: ECCC’s closest normals for Smoky Lake County come from Lac la Biche, 70 km north, so take them as the area’s climate.
A year in Smoky Lake County at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Smoky Lake County’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in Smoky Lake County feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 202 frosts and 82 warm days a year
The frost season runs September to May, and December freezes nearly every night. Some 41 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
About 388 mm of rain and snow a year
July brings the most rain and snow; February, the least. Some 78 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Precipitation: Vegreville, 71 km away (Lac la Biche records no complete year of it).
About 132 cm of snow a year
Snow falls from October to May, most of all in January (about 30 cm).
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snowfall: Fort Saskatchewan, 81 km away (Lac la Biche records no complete year of it).
Heating a home in Smoky Lake County
88% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Warm days count for nothing; each colder day adds how far its mean sits below 18°C. In heating terms, homes need more heating than 96% of Canadian towns.
Living with Smoky Lake County’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
Plant out after about 22 May; the first frost of autumn usually arrives near 17 September, leaving roughly 118 days without frost.
Afternoons of 17–27°C and nights of at least 8°C arrive in Jun, Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →Bitter wind chill, under −20, comes on about 65 days a year.
Humid summer days, the humidex above 30, number about 8 a year.
The normals describe a typical year, not its worst days; the hazards page covers Smoky Lake County’s.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Lac la Biche
Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Lac la Biche are 2 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.
| Distance from the town | 70 km north |
| Station altitude | 567 m |
| Completeness | at least 20 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Precipitation from | Vegreville, 71 km |
| Snowfall from | Fort Saskatchewan, 81 km |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −46.6°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 34.7°C |
| Average wind | 9.6 km/h on average, most often from the south |
| Next-nearest location | Vegreville, 71 km |
How Smoky Lake 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
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share Smoky Lake County’s would only repeat its figures. No closer places have figures: these lie 20–49 km from Smoky Lake County.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky Lake County Lac la Biche | 23.1°C | −19.1°C | 388 mm |
| Smoky Lake 20 km · Fort Saskatchewan | 23.6°C 0.5°C warmer | −17.8°C 1.3°C milder | 473 mm |
| Saddle Lake 125 34 km · Vegreville | 23.5°C about the same | −19.0°C about the same | 388 mm |
Smoky Lake 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 | −8.8°C | −19.1°C | −13.9°C | 19 mm | 30 cm |
| February | −5.2°C | −16.8°C | −11.0°C | 12 mm | 13 cm |
| March | 0.1°C | −11.2°C | −5.6°C | 17 mm | 21 cm |
| April | 9.2°C | −3.1°C | 3.1°C | 28 mm | 8 cm |
| May | 16.8°C | 3.4°C | 10.1°C | 41 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 20.6°C | 8.2°C | 14.5°C | 60 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23.1°C | 11.2°C | 17.2°C | 71 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 21.9°C | 9.5°C | 15.7°C | 50 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 16.4°C | 4.6°C | 10.5°C | 35 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 8.2°C | −1.5°C | 3.4°C | 23 mm | 8 cm |
| November | −1.3°C | −9.7°C | −5.5°C | 17 mm | 27 cm |
| December | −7.4°C | −17.1°C | −12.3°C | 16 mm | 23 cm |
| Year | 7.8°C | −3.5°C | 2.2°C | 388 mm | 132 cm |
A March here can run from −41.8°C to 17.6°C
Bars run from each month’s record low to its record high over 1991–2020; December is the month whose average wanders most from year to year (±4.6°C around −12.3°C), June the one that wanders least (±0.9°C).
Where Smoky Lake County’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the Canadian Climate Normals, 1991–2020, at Lac la Biche (the closest location with all twelve months of temperatures).
- Other locations: where a location publishes no full year of precipitation or snowfall, the nearest one that does supplies it, named beside those figures.
- 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: a sunshine figure (ECCC published none for 1991–2020) and any lapse-rate correction for height, as the town has no elevation here.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Smoky Lake County’s climate
How warm does Smoky Lake County get in summer?
Midsummer means July, with afternoons near 23.1°C on a typical day.
How cold does Smoky Lake County get in winter?
Overnight lows average −19.1°C in January, the coldest month.
How much rain and snow does Smoky Lake County get?
A normal year brings 388 mm, snow included as water: July is wettest at 71 mm, February driest at 12 mm.
Are these figures for Smoky Lake County itself?
No. The nearest normals are those of Lac la Biche, a long way from Smoky Lake County.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Smoky Lake 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).