Calgary's first snow that stays on the ground usually arrives in October and the last in April, though flakes can fall from September to May.
No daytime snow is forecast for Calgary in the next 7 days, though overnight lows dip to freezing on Tue, Nov 10, Fri, Nov 13, Sat, Nov 14, Sun, Nov 15, Mon, Nov 16 (Environment Canada's GEM model, downtown). (as of 1:27 a.m.) Calgary 7-day forecast. Neighbourhood by neighbourhood: Calgary snow forecast.
Calgary's snow season is long and its edges are blurry. In a typical year the first snow that sticks arrives in October, the last in April, and the city has at least a centimetre of snow on the ground for about 86 days a year — roughly a quarter of the year (per Environment Canada's 1981–2010 climate normals for Calgary International Airport). But Calgary regularly gets flurries in September and again in May or June, and neither is considered remarkable here — a September snowfall on leafy trees is a recurring local event, not a freak one.
Yes, both are normal in Calgary. The first flakes of the season commonly fall in September, sometimes while the trees are still in full leaf, but that early snow rarely lasts more than a day or two. The snow that stays on the ground usually arrives in October. At the other end of the season, snow in May is normal and even June flurries have been recorded in the city.
Two things. First, it rarely accumulates for the whole winter the way it does further east: chinooks repeatedly melt the snowpack off and then let it refreeze, so Calgary sees far more bare-ground days midwinter than its latitude suggests. Second, the biggest snowfalls are often spring events. A wet, heavy April or May snow — the kind that breaks branches and knocks out power — is a more realistic worst case here than a January blizzard.
Elevation does most of the work. Northwest Calgary — Edgemont, Nose Hill and the surrounding ridges sit roughly 100 m above the river valley — tends to see snow start earlier, accumulate more and melt later. The low, dry east side generally gets less of it and loses it sooner, partly because it is drier and partly because it warms faster once the sun is out.
The same storm can therefore leave a very different driveway in Edgemont than in Forest Lawn, which is worth checking before you decide whether to shovel or wait.
If you are driving west, do not use Calgary's forecast. Canmore sits a few hundred metres higher in the Bow Valley and Banff higher still — both get snow earlier in the autumn, later in the spring, and can be snowing while Calgary is dry and mild. Highway 1 through the Bow Valley can change conditions within a few kilometres. Check the destination, and check Alberta 511 for road conditions before a winter drive.
Snow tires are worth having on from October to April here, less for snow depth than for the ice that the freeze-thaw cycle produces. Calgary's sidewalk-clearing bylaw puts the responsibility on property owners within a set window after a snowfall, so it pays to know the current rule. And because a chinook can arrive within a day, clearing snow before it turns to ice is usually less work than dealing with it after.
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The first flakes usually fall in September, but the first snow that stays on the ground typically arrives in October. September snow is common in Calgary and rarely lasts more than a day or two.
Yes. Calgary has at least a centimetre of snow on the ground about 86 days a year (Environment Canada 1981–2010 climate normals), but chinooks melt it off repeatedly through the winter, so bare ground is common even in January.
The first snow that sticks typically arrives in October and the last in April, but flurries in September and May are normal. Calgary has snow on the ground about 86 days a year (Environment Canada 1981–2010 climate normals).
In the city, June flurries are rare but recorded; in the nearby mountains — Banff, Lake Louise, Kananaskis — snow is possible in any month of the year.