Abandoned Drumheller subdivision near Delia alberta - panoramio

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Climate in Starland County · ECCC 1991–2020 normals

Starland County sits near the bottom of Canadian towns for rain and snow, with 339 mm a year

Sunny July days climb to about 26.3°C. By frosts alone, it ranks colder than 88% of Canadian towns. Seasons differ by 44°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. An umbrella or a shovel earns its place on about 66 days a year with 1 mm or more.

July afternoons: warmer than 63% of Canadian towns

January nights: colder than 82% of Canadian towns

Rain and snow a year: drier than almost every Canadian town

ECCC publishes no normals for Starland County itself; the figures are those of Drumheller East, 36 km south.

July high

26.3°C

Typical Canadian town 25.5°C

January low

−17.6°C

Typical Canadian town −13.5°C

Rain & snow a year

339 mm

Typical Canadian town 883 mm

Snowfall a year

87 cm

Typical Canadian town 141 cm

Frost days

195

a year at 0°C or below

Frost-free days

128

14 May to 21 Sep

A year in Starland County at a glance

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

Jan−5°C−18°CColdest nightsSnowiest

Feb−2°C−16°C

Mar4°C−9°C

Apr13°C−2°C

May19°C4°CLast frost ~14 May

Jun23°C9°CWettest

Jul26°C12°CWarmest

Aug26°C10°C

Sep21°C5°CFirst frost ~21 Sep

Oct13°C−2°C

Nov now3°C−10°C

Dec−4°C−16°C

What stands out about Starland County’s climate

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

Drier than almost every Canadian townAbout 339 mm of rain and melted snow a year; June is the wettest month and December the driest. 472nd wettest of 479 towns of 2,500+ in Alberta.Less snowy than 93% of Canadian townsAbout 87 cm of snow falls in a year, most of it in January. 466th snowiest of 475 towns of 2,500+ in Alberta.A wider year than 86% of Canadian townsFrom January nights to July afternoons, the year spans 43.9°C.

A normal year

What a year in Starland County feels like

Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.

Winter

−4°C / −17°C

30 mm, with 39 cm of snow

Spring

12°C / −2°C

77 mm, with 24 cm of snow

Summer

25°C / 10°C

172 mm of rain and snow, the wettest season

Autumn

12°C / −2°C

60 mm, with 24 cm of snow

−30°

−20°

−10°

0°

10°

20°

30°

40°

−5°C−18°C

−2°C−16°C

4°C−9°C

13°C−2°C

19°C4°C

23°C9°C

26°C12°C

26°C10°C

21°C5°C

13°C−2°C

3°C−10°C

−4°C−16°C

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

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

Frost & warm days

Frost on 195 days, 20°C on 116

Frost comes from September to May; in December almost every night freezes. On about 35 nights a year the air falls below −20°C.

128 frost-free days · average dates, 1991–2020

14 May 21 Sep

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

195

Frost days a year (0°C or below)

More frosts than 88% of Canadian towns

Days that stay below 0°C

Nights a year below −20°C

116

Days a year above 20°C

Days a year above 30°C

Frost days by month

Average days at 0°C or below

JFMAMJJASOND

Days above 20°C by month

Average days

JFMAMJJASOND

Rain & snow

339 mm of precipitation in a typical year

The most falls in June, the least in December. 472nd wettest of 479 towns of 2,500+ in Alberta.

339 mm

Rain and snow a year

Drier than almost every Canadian town

69 mm

June, the wettest month

9 mm

December, the driest month

Rain and snow by month

Millimetres

69 mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Precipitation: Coronation, 83 km away (Drumheller East records no complete year of it).

Snow

87 cm of snow in a typical year

Expect snow from October to May, with about 16 cm in January, the snowiest month. 466th snowiest of 475 towns of 2,500+ in Alberta.

87 cm

Snowfall a year

Less snowy than 93% of Canadian towns

Days a year with 0.2 cm of snow or more

Snowfall by month

Centimetres

16 cm

JFMAMJJASOND

ECCC’s Drumheller East normals leave snowfall out; the figures here come from Forestburg Plant Site, 84 km away.

Heating

Heating a home in Starland County

90% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.

5,087 heating degree days (below 18°C)a year, 1991–2020

1,772 growing degree days (above 5°C)a year, 1991–2020

ECCC sums, over the year, how many degrees each day’s average falls short of 18°C. By this count, homes here need more heating than 72% of Canadian towns.

Living here

Living with Starland County’s climate

Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.

The garden window

Between the last frost, near 14 May, and the first, near 21 September, lie about 128 frost-free days.

Get outside

Warm afternoons without cold nights, 17–27°C and 8°C or more, mark Jun, Jul and Aug.

Parks & trails →

Wind chill

Count on some 57 days a year when the wind makes it feel below −20.

Humidex

The air feels heavier than 30 on the humidex for about 22 days a year.

Storms and extremes

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

Flood & hazards →

Weather station

ECCC’s normals location: Drumheller East

Drumheller East is one of the 450 places where ECCC publishes 1991–2020 normals.

Distance from the town	36 km south
Station altitude	678 m
Completeness	at least 20 years
WMO standard normals	No
Precipitation from	Coronation, 83 km
Snowfall from	Forestburg Plant Site, 84 km
Coldest reading, 1991–2020	−43.9°C
Hottest reading, 1991–2020	39.4°C
Average wind	9.2 km/h on average, most often from the south-east
Next-nearest location	Coronation, 83 km

Compared with other towns

How Starland 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.

July afternoons26.3°C

Starland CountyMedian Canadian town

20°C22°C24°C26°C28°C

Warmer than 63% of Canadian towns9th warmest of 479 towns of 2,500+ in Alberta

January nights−17.6°C

Starland CountyMedian Canadian town

−25°C−20°C−15°C−10°C

Colder than 82% of Canadian towns

Rain and snow a year339 mm

Starland CountyMedian Canadian town

05001,0001,500

Drier than almost every Canadian town472nd wettest of 479 towns of 2,500+ in Alberta

Snowfall a year87 cm

Starland CountyMedian Canadian town

0100200300

Less snowy than 93% of Canadian towns466th snowiest of 475 towns of 2,500+ in Alberta

Next door

Nearby towns’ climate

Places around Starland County whose figures come from another normals location. No closer places have figures: these lie 63–69 km from Starland County.

Town	July high	January low	Rain & snow
Starland County Drumheller East	26.3°C	−17.6°C	339 mm
Stettler 63 km · Forestburg Plant Site	24.4°C 1.9°C cooler	−15.4°C 2.2°C milder	407 mm
Special Area No. 2 69 km · Coronation	23.8°C 2.5°C cooler	−18.8°C 1.2°C colder	339 mm

Month by month

Starland County weather by month

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

Month	High	Low	Mean	Rain & snow	Snow
January	−4.9°C	−17.6°C	−11.2°C	12 mm	16 cm
February	−1.7°C	−15.7°C	−8.7°C	9 mm	10 cm
March	4.0°C	−9.3°C	−2.7°C	13 mm	14 cm
April	12.6°C	−1.6°C	5.5°C	25 mm	8 cm
May	18.9°C	4.4°C	11.7°C	39 mm	2 cm
June	22.5°C	9.1°C	15.8°C	69 mm	0 cm
July	26.3°C	11.6°C	19.0°C	61 mm	0 cm
August	25.9°C	10.3°C	18.2°C	43 mm	0 cm
September	20.5°C	4.9°C	12.7°C	29 mm	1 cm
October	12.6°C	−1.6°C	5.8°C	17 mm	9 cm
November	2.6°C	−9.5°C	−3.4°C	15 mm	14 cm
December	−4.0°C	−16.3°C	−10.2°C	9 mm	13 cm
Year	11.3°C	−2.6°C	4.4°C	339 mm	87 cm

Year to year

The month with the widest range: March, −38.7°C to 28.0°C

Two years in three, February’s average falls within 4.4°C of its normal of −8.7°C; June keeps to within 1.0°C.

−50°

−40°

−30°

−20°

−10°

0°

10°

20°

30°

40°

50°

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Record low to record high, 1991–2020Normal

Sources

Where Starland County’s numbers come from

Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.

Normals: the 1991–2020 normals from ECCC for Drumheller East, its nearest location with complete 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 place of 2,500+ in Canada but the city hubs and the reserves, each on its nearest ECCC location.
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 Starland County’s climate

How warm does Starland County get in summer?

The year’s warmest days come in July, with highs averaging 26.3°C.

How cold does Starland County get in winter?

Deep winter means January, when nights average −17.6°C.

How much rain and snow does Starland County get?

About 339 mm a year, rain and melted snow together. June is the wettest month (69 mm) and December the driest (9 mm).

Are these figures for Starland County itself?

No. ECCC measures normals at Drumheller East, not in Starland County; the page uses the nearest it has.

Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Starland 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).