Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand · CC0Dry weather: only 412 mm of rain and snow a year falls on Vulcan County, less than on 94% of Canadian towns
Nights in January average −13.7°C. Frost is common: about 197 nights a year drop below freezing, more than in 89% of Canadian towns. June is the wettest month, February the driest. Windshields need scraping on about 197 mornings a year, the days the air reaches 0°C or below.
Measured at Queenstown, 27 km north-east: ECCC’s normals for 1991–2020.
A year in Vulcan County at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Vulcan County’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Alberta beside it.
What a year in Vulcan County feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 197 frosts and 102 warm days a year
Frost comes from September to May; in December almost every night freezes. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 24 nights a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
Rain and melted snow: about 412 mm a year
About 73 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 105 cm of snow a year
From September to May snow is likely; March is the peak, at about 18 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Vulcan County
87% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Heating degree days total each day’s gap between its mean temperature and 18°C. That means homes here need more heating than 61% of Canadian towns.
Living with Vulcan County’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
Between the last frost, near 19 May, and the first, near 20 September, lie about 123 frost-free days.
Warm afternoons without cold nights, 17–27°C and 8°C or more, mark Jun, Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →Extremes don’t show in averages: floods, wildfire smoke and ice storms are on Vulcan County’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Queenstown
Queenstown is one of the 450 places where ECCC publishes 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 27 km north-east |
| Station altitude | 940 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | Yes |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −39.0°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 39.5°C |
| Next-nearest location | Claresholm, 55 km |
How Vulcan 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
Places around Vulcan County whose figures come from another normals location. Distances here run 43–60 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Vulcan County.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vulcan County Queenstown | 25.0°C | −13.7°C | 412 mm |
| Nanton 43 km · Claresholm | 25.2°C about the same | −13.2°C 0.5°C milder | 428 mm |
| High River 53 km · Calgary (Airport) | 23.5°C 1.5°C cooler | −13.5°C about the same | 445 mm |
| Nobleford 59 km · Lethbridge | 26.3°C 1.3°C warmer | −12.1°C 1.6°C milder | 373 mm |
Vulcan County weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1.9°C | −13.7°C | −7.8°C | 14 mm | 14 cm |
| February | −0.5°C | −12.5°C | −6.5°C | 14 mm | 14 cm |
| March | 4.5°C | −8.1°C | −1.8°C | 19 mm | 18 cm |
| April | 11.6°C | −2.2°C | 4.7°C | 33 mm | 14 cm |
| May | 17.4°C | 3.4°C | 10.5°C | 62 mm | 6 cm |
| June | 21.1°C | 8.0°C | 14.6°C | 82 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 25.0°C | 10.5°C | 17.8°C | 54 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 24.6°C | 9.5°C | 17.1°C | 50 mm | under 1 cm |
| September | 19.5°C | 4.6°C | 12.1°C | 33 mm | 2 cm |
| October | 12.3°C | −1.7°C | 5.3°C | 18 mm | 8 cm |
| November | 4.1°C | −7.8°C | −1.8°C | 18 mm | 15 cm |
| December | −0.7°C | −12.4°C | −6.7°C | 15 mm | 14 cm |
| Year | 11.4°C | −1.9°C | 4.8°C | 412 mm | 105 cm |
February varies most from one year to the next (5.0°C), June least
Records from 1991 to 2020: no month spans more than March, between −35.5°C (2014) and 26.0°C (2004).
Where Vulcan County’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: 1991–2020 normals for Queenstown from ECCC’s climate data site, the nearest location with every month of temperature.
- 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: 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 Vulcan County’s climate
How warm does Vulcan County get in summer?
Expect highs near 25.0°C in July, the hottest month on average.
How cold does Vulcan County get in winter?
On a normal January night the air drops to −13.7°C, the coldest of the year.
How much rain and snow does Vulcan County get?
About 412 mm a year, rain and melted snow together. June is the wettest month (82 mm) and February the driest (14 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Roughly 4 days a year start with snow cover of 1 cm or more.
Are these figures for Vulcan County itself?
Yes: they are ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals for Queenstown, a location inside Vulcan County.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Vulcan 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).