May 2026 Review

A late frost, a later heatwave, and an even later start to our monsoon season!

All that and more, as we take our big look back at Edmonton weather for May 2026.

May 2026's average High of 20.1°C was the 16th warmest on record. The average Low of 6.8°C was 18th.

Compared to recent years that's close to 2025, 2024 was pretty cool, and 2023 was our warmest May on record by far.



High Temperatures

May's Highs ranged from 9.9°C on the 15th to 30.5°C on the 29th.

Overall 23 Highs were above average. 8 were below average, at the start, middle, and end of the month.

May averages 2 Highs below 10°C, and 2026 only had 1 with 9.9°C on the 15th. 

On average 10 Highs get to 20°C, and we got 15.

3 of those get to 25°C, and we got 6. 

And we had 2 Highs get to 30°C. Recently 2025 had 3, 2022 also had 2, and 2016-2019 all got to 30°C.

Our hottest day of the year usually happens in July or August. But since 1880 there have been 18 years where the hottest day occurred in May. Recently that included 2019 (30.6°C), 2016 (30°C) & 2010 (30.3°C).



Low Temperatures

For Low temperatures May 2026 had 19 above average and 12 below.

That ranged from 14.6°C at the end of the month, to some frosty -2.3°C and -2.7°C nights earlier.

May averages 2 below-freezing Lows. And we got 2, on the 5th and then pretty late on the 17th.

About a quarter of the time May is frost-free, and recently that happened in 2024, 2023, 2020, 2018, 2017...



Final Frost

The average date of Blatchford's final frost is May 5th. 

2026 was a little late, dragging it out to the Victoria Day Long weekend on May 17th. That was one day later than 2025's May 16st. 

But 2024, 2023 & 2020 were all done around April 20th.

Around the neighbourhood Stony Plain's final frost was also May 17th, when their average is May 10th. The airport and Campsie were May 21st, although both of those stations could still see frost in June.



Warm & Cold Months

After a meh March and a cool April, May 2026 gets a medium orange/warm bubble.

The average High of 20.1°C was 2.6°C warmer than the 20th century average. The average Low of 6.8°C was 2.1°C warmer.

Back in 2014 we were below average from February through June.



Across Canada

Across the country May was mostly above average, except in Ontario & Quebec. 

That ranged from Kelowna's Highs 3.8°C above their 20th century average, to Quebec City at -0.8°C below theirs.

For final frost across the prairies, Edmonton's average is a week or two earlier than the other cities.

But in 2026 everyone was done within a few days of the May long weekend, unless another late frost sneaks in.



Snow

In May we average around 5cm of snow, but 2026 was snowfree.

May is snowfree around half of the time.

We average around 120cm of snow in a winter. This winter the airport was a little high with 133.5cm. But 60cm of that was all in December. 

Uncas near Sherwood Park is the only other local station which records snow. It got to 186cm after it has a very snowy April.



Snow Across Canada

Of the cities with snow measurements, the only ones to record snow in May were Calgary, Halifax and Moncton.

St. John's finishes the winter at the top with 522cm, followed by Charlottetown with 305cm. Then a bunch of cities are grouped around 200-250cm.



Precipitation

In May we average around 50mm of precipitation.

Our summer monsoon season usually gets started around mid-month, but this year it waited until the very end.

Blatchford ends up with 33mm, the airport with 26mm, and Stony Plain with 27mm.

In terms of storms it was a very quiet month...right up until the 31st dropped 22mm onto Blatchford, the airport, and Stony Plain. (Campsie 100km NW only got 12mm.

By the end of May we average around 125mm of precipitation for the year. After a low May, but an above average March & April the local stations range from 92mm at the airport to 122mm at Blatchford.

For total precipitation for the year so far St. John's, Halifax & Charlottetown are all way out around 600mm. For Charlottetown that's pretty high, but for the others it's normal.

Nothing is particularly exciting, but the prairie cities are mostly a little below average.

For big storms Toronto got 43mm on the 23rd, and Moncton got 34mm on the 3rd.

Halifax, Charlottetown, Quebec City, Montréal and Edmonton all got 20cm+ days.



June

In June usually about half of the Highs are above 20°C, with maybe a week above 25°C.

The last time that Blatchford had a June frost was 1942.

But we've had snow in June in 2011, 1967, 1922 and 1888.

April 2025 Review

Suddenly it's May, so it's time for our big look back at April 2025 weather in Edmonton.

April 2025 ends up as a pretty warm one. 

The average High of 13.3°C was the 30th warmest on record, and average Low of 1.3°C was 15th warmest. 

That made it our warmest April since 2016.

April is one of the months, along with October, where our average Highs haven't changed much over the past century. Both have stayed a little below 11°C going back to 1880. The Lows for both have increased by around 2.5°C, though.





High Temperatures

April 2025 had 22 above-average Highs, and 8 below-average. The 6th & 26th got near the top of our 30-year range, although they weren't close to any all-time records. And none of the below-average Highs were particularly cold.

April averages 2 below-freezing Highs, and 2025 didn't have any. The last April that did get some was 2022, with 5. 

April also averages 3 20°C Highs, and this year we got 2 (although 2024 had none).

20°C Highs often start to show up around mid-April. The first one of 2025 was April 26th. 

Before that our last one was back on October 8th. So we went 198 days below 20°C, which is fairly typical. 

Recently 2022 went just 173 days, while 2017 went 218.



Low Temperatures

April 2025's Lows looked a lot like the Highs, with 20 above-average and 10 below-below average. A few days were up at the top of our 30-year range, and the below-average Lows weren't particularly cold.

April averages around 15 below-freezing Lows, and 2025 had 9. The coldest was -7.4°C on the 4th. 

April average 2 Lows above 5°C, and 2025 had 7.



Final Spring Frost

The average date of the final spring frost at Blatchford is May 4th. 

Right now the last frost was on April 18th, although there's still plenty of time for the weather to turn again. 

But 2024's final frost was April 20th, 2023's was the 22nd, and 2020's was the 19th.



Warm & Cold Months

April 2025 gets a medium sized orange bubble. The average High of 13.3°C was 2.7°C warmer than the 20th century average. The average Low of 1.3°C was also 2.7°C warmer. And it was the warmest April since 2016.



Across Canada

April follows March as another warm month across the whole country. Dawson City was the most above average with a High 3.2°C above its 20th century average, and Edmonton's 2.7°C was second.



Snow

In April we average 14cm of snowfall. In 2025 we got...0cm! 

The airport has only had 1 other snowless April, back in 1998.

When Blatchford still recorded snow it was snowfree in 2005, 1998, 1984, 1949, 1919, 1906 & 1905 (and 6 more before 1900, which seems suspect)

Quite a few other cities did get snow in April. Charlottetown was up at 43cm, Halifax had 43cm, and Calgary got 11cm.

By the end of April Edmonton averages 114cm of total snowfall. After the snowfree April the winter of 2024-2025 is stuck at 105cm. But in May we get more snow about half of the time.

At the end of the winter Charelottetown takes the top spot with 450cm of snow, well ahead of Ottawa, St. John's and Moncton around 250cm. 

Calgary was the biggest outlier here, as its 83.5cm was a bottom-10 year.



Snowdepth

The airport's last day with snow on the ground was April 4th. Stony Plain's was the 6th. Elk Island's was basically the 10th, although it bounced around a bit. Campsie was at 1cm on the 8th, but then also bounced around.

The airport has snow on the ground from November 22nd to April 4th. That's 133 days in-a-row, which is fairly typical. For Stony Plain it was 99 days (it originally got to 0cm in March), and Elk Island was 138 days.



Precipitation

In April we average 27mm of combined precipitation (rain+snow). 

2025 was low, with 4.9mm at Blatchford, and 12.8mm at the airport and Stony Plain. Campise (100km NW) was right on average. 

Blatchford's 4.9mm was still more than April 2019, 2020 or 2021.

By the end of April we average around 75mm of precipitation for the year. 

Right now the stations range from 75mm at the airport to 85mm at Blatchford. 

Things usually pick up from mid-May through mid-August, with about 60% of our total precipitation for the year.

While Edmonton has had 75mm of precipitation so far in 2025, and Calgary is at 51mm, at the other end St. John's is up at 443mm, Halifax has 385mm, and Vancouver has 351mm.



May

For May we average a week or two of days above 20°C, and quite often we will reach 30°C. 

About a third of the time our final frost is in April, but May often has a few of frosty nights. 

And the airport recorded May snow in 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2015...

March 2025 Review

March 2025 weather in Edmonton was all over the place, so it's time for our big look back...

It may not have felt like it, but March 2025 was fairly warm.

The average High of 3.7°C was the 36th warmest on record, and average Low of -5.7°C was 22nd warmest. That wasn't super warm, but it was the warmest March since 2021

High Temperatures

We're all probably going to remember the giant snowstorm, but March 2025 started warm, dipped a bit in the middle, got warm again, and then came the snow. In the end 19 Highs were above average, and 12 were below.

March averages 20 above-freezing Highs, and 2025 had 25. 

March averages 4 10°C Highs, and 2025 had 4. 

March also averages 3 Highs below -10°C, but the coldest 2025 got was -9.6°C. 

March usually gets warmer as it progresses, but 2025's warm days were mostly at the start.



Low Temperatures

March 2025 ends up with 21 above-average Lows, and 10 below. The warmest was 0.8°C on the 24th, and the coldest was -17.4°C on the 14th.

March averages around 2 -20°C Lows, and the closest that 2025 got was -17.4°C.

At the other end it averages 3 above-freezing Lows, and 2025 had 3.



Warm & Cold Months

March 2025 gets medium-sized orange bubbles. 

The average High of 3.7°C was 2.7°C warmer than the 20th century average. 

The average Low of -5.7°C was 3.7°C warmer.

That follows the colder-than-average February, and warmer-than-average January (modern Januarys always are)



The Horserace

After 3 months 2025 ranks as our 31st warmest year on record, at 0.7°C above the 20th century average.

Broken into Highs & Lows, the Highs are 39th warmest and Lows are 24th.



Across Canada

March was warmer than the 20th century average across the whole country. 

Dawson City was the big standout with an average High 5.5°C above its 20th century average, while Victoria's 0.1°C was at the bottom. Edmonton's 2.7°C above average was middle of the pack.



Snow

In March we average around 20cm of snowfall, and 2025 was up at 36.7cm. 

That made it the airport's 5th snowiest March on record. (no one wants to think about it, but we average another 15cm in April, and 5cm in May)

By this point of the winter we average 100cm of snowfall, and the snowy March pushed us just over that with 105cm.

For a whole winter we average around 120cm, but we've still got April & May to go.

Across the country Charlottetown's 397cm makes it the snowiest of the big cities (and that's really low for them). 

Most cities here had a pretty average winter, although Calgary's 72.3cm is its lowest since 2015-2016. But they average another ~30cm in April & May.



Big Storms

Charlottetown, Edmonton, Moncton, Ottawa, Halifax & Calgary all got big storms in the final week of March. 

Ottawa got 25.2cm on the 28th & 29th, Edmonton got 24cm on the 27th & 28th, and Charlottetown got 18.8cm just on the 27th.

24cm over 2-days is a pretty big storm for Edmonton. It was the biggest since May 5th & 6th 2003. 

The airport has only had 10 other 2-day storms get to 24cm. Although all of the record storms are 40cm+.



Snowdepth

Late February and early March saw a lot of melting. Stony Plain got down to 0cm on March 3rd, and the airport was down to 1cm by March 23rd.

But the big storm changed all that, pushing stations back up around 20cm or 30cm.

Quite a few years get down to 0cm snowdepth around the end of March. But we will need to see how long it takes all of this new stuff to melt off.

Across the country Dawson City, Saskatoon, Edmonton & Ottawa all still have a lot of snow on the ground, although Edmonton & Ottawa both jumped back up from basically zero due to the late storms.



April

For April, on average we only get 2 Highs below 0°C, although 2020 & 2018 started quite cold.

Most Aprils reach 20°C, and 2001, 2015, 2016 & 2018 all got to 25°C. 

But April still averages 15 Lows below freezing, and 15cm of snow.