Calgary sits on the western Canadian prairies just east of the Rocky Mountains, at around 1,045 metres elevation and approximately 51.05°N, 114.07°W. It has a cold continental prairie climate that borders on semi-arid, with cold, dry, highly variable winters and mild, sunny summers. Its high elevation, its distance from any ocean and its proximity to the mountains all shape a dry, sunny, wind-prone climate with sharp temperature swings.

Summer, from June to August, is mild and pleasant rather than hot, with July the warmest month — average highs around 23–24°C and cool nights thanks to the elevation, which means even July evenings turn chilly. Temperatures top 30°C only a handful of days a year. This is the wettest and most thundery season, and Calgary sits in Alberta's 'Hailstorm Alley', so severe summer thunderstorms with damaging hail are a real hazard.

Winter is cold and long but famously variable. January, the coldest month, averages highs around -2°C and lows near -13°C, and Arctic cold snaps can plunge the city below -30°C for days. The saving grace is the chinook — a warm, dry wind spilling down off the Rockies that can lift the temperature by 20–30°C in a matter of hours, melting snow and sending Calgarians onto sunny patios in the depths of winter. These swings make Calgary's winters milder on average than most prairie cities.

Calgary is one of the drier major cities in Canada, receiving only around 420–530 mm of total precipitation a year. Most of the moisture falls as rain in the summer, peaking in June, which is vital for the surrounding prairie farmland, while winters are dry. Snow totals around 130 cm a year and can fall in any month — it has even snowed in July. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Two things define Calgary's weather: the chinook winds, marked by a distinctive arch of cloud over the western horizon and capable of dramatic mid-winter thaws, and the abundant sunshine — Calgary is one of the sunniest cities in Canada, with bright blue skies even on bitterly cold days. It is also among the windiest Canadian cities, adding significant wind chill in winter.

To follow any single measurement in Calgary more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.