Climate in Smoky Lake · ECCC 1991–2020 normals

Smoky Lake gets more frosts than 90% of Canadian towns

On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 23.6°C. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 77% of Canadian towns. Of all months, July brings the most precipitation and February the least. An umbrella or a shovel earns its place on about 84 days a year with 1 mm or more.

July afternoons: cooler than 72% of Canadian towns

January nights: colder than 82% of Canadian towns

Rain and snow a year: drier than 77% of Canadian towns

Smoky Lake has no ECCC normals station nearby: the figures come from Fort Saskatchewan, 64 km south-west, so read them as the wider area’s climate.

July high

23.6°C

Typical Canadian town 25.5°C

January low

−17.8°C

Typical Canadian town −13.5°C

Rain & snow a year

473 mm

Typical Canadian town 883 mm

Snowfall a year

132 cm

Typical Canadian town 141 cm

Frost days

199

a year at 0°C or below

A year in Smoky Lake at a glance

Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.

Jan−6°C−18°CColdest nightsSnowiest

Feb−3°C−15°C

Mar2°C−10°C

Apr11°C−2°C

May18°C4°C

Jun21°C9°C

Jul24°C11°CWarmestWettest

Aug23°C10°C

Sep18°C5°C

Oct10°C−1°C

Nov now1°C−10°C

Dec−5°C−15°C

What stands out about Smoky Lake’s climate

Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.

Colder than 82% of Canadian townsJanuary nights average −17.8°C, the coldest of the year.A wider year than 77% of Canadian townsFrom January nights to July afternoons, the year spans 41.4°C.Drier than 77% of Canadian townsAbout 473 mm of rain and melted snow a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest.

A normal year

What a year in Smoky Lake feels like

Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.

Winter

−5°C / −16°C

68 mm, with 66 cm of snow

Spring

10°C / −2°C

98 mm, with 32 cm of snow

Summer

23°C / 10°C

216 mm of rain and snow, the wettest season

Autumn

10°C / −2°C

92 mm, with 35 cm of snow

−30°

−20°

−10°

0°

10°

20°

30°

−6°C−18°C

−3°C−15°C

2°C−10°C

11°C−2°C

18°C4°C

21°C9°C

24°C11°C

23°C10°C

18°C5°C

10°C−1°C

1°C−10°C

−5°C−15°C

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Best months to be outsideJunJulAugHighs of 17–27°C and nights of 8°C or more

Frost & warm days

199 frost days a year

Frost comes from September to May; in January almost every night freezes. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 33 nights a year.

199

Frost days a year (0°C or below)

More frosts than 90% of Canadian towns

Nights a year below −20°C

Frost days by month

Average days at 0°C or below

JFMAMJJASOND

Rain & snow

473 mm of precipitation in a typical year

473 mm

Rain and snow a year

Drier than 77% of Canadian towns

341 mm

Of it as rain alone (72%)

82 mm

July, the wettest month

14 mm

February, the driest month

Rain and snow by month

Millimetres

82 mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Rain alone by month

Millimetres

82 mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Snow

Snowfall: about 132 cm in a normal year

From October to May snow is likely; January is the peak, at about 30 cm.

132 cm

Snowfall a year

Less snowy than 59% of Canadian towns

Days a year with 0.2 cm of snow or more

Snowfall by month

Centimetres

30 cm

JFMAMJJASOND

Living here

Living with Smoky Lake’s climate

What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.

Get outside

For long days outdoors, Jun, Jul and Aug bring highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.

Parks & trails →

Storms and extremes

Bad-weather days, from blizzards to floods, get their own page for Smoky Lake: the hazards page.

Flood & hazards →

Weather station

ECCC’s normals location: Fort Saskatchewan

Fort Saskatchewan is one of the 450 places where ECCC publishes 1991–2020 normals.

Distance from the town	64 km south-west
Station altitude	620 m
Completeness	at least 15 years
WMO standard normals	No
Coldest reading, 1991–2020	−47.5°C
Hottest reading, 1991–2020	36.5°C
Next-nearest location	Vegreville, 72 km

Compared with other towns

How Smoky Lake compares

Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in Alberta.

July afternoons23.6°C

Smoky LakeMedian Canadian town

20°C22°C24°C26°C28°C

Cooler than 72% of Canadian towns

January nights−17.8°C

Smoky LakeMedian Canadian town

−25°C−20°C−15°C−10°C

Colder than 82% of Canadian towns

Rain and snow a year473 mm

Smoky LakeMedian Canadian town

05001,0001,500

Drier than 77% of Canadian towns

Snowfall a year132 cm

Smoky LakeMedian Canadian town

0100200300

Less snowy than 59% of Canadian towns

Next door

Nearby towns’ climate

Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on Smoky Lake’s own would show the same figures). Distances here run 20–48 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Smoky Lake.

Town	July high	January low	Rain & snow
Smoky Lake Fort Saskatchewan	23.6°C	−17.8°C	473 mm
Smoky Lake County 20 km · Lac la Biche	23.1°C 0.5°C cooler	−19.1°C 1.3°C colder	388 mm
Lamont County 40 km · Vegreville	23.5°C about the same	−19.0°C 1.2°C colder	388 mm

Month by month

Smoky Lake weather by month

Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.

Month	High	Low	Mean	Rain & snow	Snow
January	−6.4°C	−17.8°C	−12.8°C	30 mm	30 cm
February	−3.1°C	−15.2°C	−9.2°C	14 mm	13 cm
March	1.9°C	−9.5°C	−4.0°C	22 mm	21 cm
April	10.9°C	−1.9°C	4.7°C	27 mm	8 cm
May	17.8°C	4.1°C	10.9°C	49 mm	2 cm
June	21.3°C	8.6°C	14.9°C	78 mm	0 cm
July	23.6°C	11.0°C	17.3°C	82 mm	0 cm
August	23.1°C	9.7°C	16.3°C	56 mm	0 cm
September	18.3°C	4.5°C	11.4°C	39 mm	0 cm
October	10.4°C	−1.4°C	4.4°C	23 mm	8 cm
November	0.9°C	−9.6°C	−4.3°C	29 mm	27 cm
December	−5.0°C	−15.4°C	−10.2°C	23 mm	23 cm
Year	9.5°C	−2.7°C	3.3°C	473 mm	132 cm

Year to year

The month with the widest range: January, −42.5°C to 26.0°C

Bars run from each month’s record low to its record high over 1991–2020; January is the month whose average wanders most from year to year (±4.3°C around −12.8°C), June the one that wanders least (±1.0°C).

−50°

−40°

−30°

−20°

−10°

0°

10°

20°

30°

40°

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Record low to record high, 1991–2020Normal

Sources

Where Smoky Lake’s numbers come from

Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.

Normals: Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals, Fort Saskatchewan: the nearest of its locations with every month’s 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, not in ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals, and the effect of the town’s height, for which there is no figure.

Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Questions about Smoky Lake’s climate

How warm does Smoky Lake get in summer?

A normal July afternoon tops out at about 23.6°C, the year’s high point.

How cold does Smoky Lake get in winter?

January nights average −17.8°C, the coldest of the year.

How much rain and snow does Smoky Lake get?

Over twelve months, rain and melted snow come to 473 mm; the range runs from 14 mm in February to 82 mm in July.

Are these figures for Smoky Lake itself?

No: they come from Fort Saskatchewan, the nearest ECCC normals location, and far enough away to describe the wider area more than Smoky Lake.

Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Smoky Lake →

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).