Banff Weather
Few places in the world are as majestic as Banff in the spring and summer. Come join Banff Horizons to explore, visit and take in the majestic Banff tours.
Banff is located in the Rocky Mountains, a place of incredible beauty, but of varied temperatures. As seen from the chart below, it can vary from 24 C/80 F in the summer to -15 C/5 F in the winter.
For the weather conditions in the summer, Shorts and short sleeve shirts are adequate, with a light jacket for the evenings. In the winter, a good gore-tex jacket with at least two layers underneath is recommended. This will allow a comfortable day when its cold outside. At all times when skiing wear a hat or helmet, goggles, gloves and appropriate ski gear (Jacket, pants and boots). Ask your Destination Specialist about the best gear and ways to stay comfortable.
|
High |
Low |
|
Celsius |
Fahrenheit |
Celsius |
Fahrenheit |
January |
-4 |
26 |
-15 |
5 |
February |
0 |
32 |
-11 |
13 |
March |
4 |
40 |
-8 |
18 |
April |
9 |
49 |
-3 |
27 |
May |
14 |
57 |
3 |
33 |
June |
20 |
72 |
5 |
41 |
July |
25 |
82 |
7 |
45 |
August |
24 |
80 |
7 |
44 |
September |
17 |
66 |
3 |
38 |
October |
10 |
50 |
-1 |
31 |
November |
1 |
32 |
-8 |
18 |
December |
-5 |
23 |
-14 |
7 |
As for precipitation, it can vary from month to month. Some areas receive more rain and snow due to the region that they are in. Lake Louise gets more rain and snow due to being in the Montane region, and Norquay gets less because of the proximity of the Bow River.
|
Rainfall
(mm) |
Rainfall (in) |
Snowfall
(cm) |
Snowfall (in) |
January |
2.4 |
0.09 |
38.2 |
14.9 |
February |
1.7 |
0.07 |
30.0 |
11.7 |
March |
1.6 |
0.07 |
27.0 |
10.5 |
April |
10.6 |
0.38 |
26.3 |
10.2 |
May |
42.4 |
1.7 |
17.1 |
6.7 |
June |
58.4 |
2.3 |
1.7 |
0.7 |
July |
51.1 |
2.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
August |
51.2 |
2.1 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
September |
37.7 |
1.5 |
7.0 |
2.73 |
October |
15.4 |
0.6 |
18.9 |
7.4 |
November |
6.0 |
0.2 |
33.6 |
13.1 |
December |
2.8 |
0.1 |
43.9 |
17.1 |
Being in an area of varied altitude, Banff and the national park have several areas where the weather can vary. For example, the three regions on Sunshine Mountain are the Alpine region, the Subalpine region and the Montane region. The difference in these three regions can vary by as much as 15 degrees Celsius or 28 degrees Fahrenheit. The three regions are characterized by the amount of trees and the amount of precipitations.
To look at the Sunshine Ski hill, there is areas of no or very small trees. This is the Alpine region, lots of snow, but colder due to no shelter from the wind and the ground is mostly rocks and loose gravel. Look for this on the continental divide chair.
The Subalpine region has more trees, and the lower in altitude the larger the trees get, as well as different types of trees can be seen. This is best demonstrated on the Goats eye chairlift. Notice that there are different types of trees at the bottom of the lift versus the top. Look for pinecones at the bottom and smaller seeds at the top.
The Montane region is best demonstrated at the bottom of the gondola. As you ski out, look for moss, more plant life and signs of animals like squirrels and deer. The reason for this is temperature, and that this is the warmest and windiest of the three regions, bringing more food and seeds to the forest floor.
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