Medicine Hat climate — normals and trends
Medicine Hat (Canada) has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 5.9 °C and it receives 393 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (20.0 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-8.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in June.
Medicine Hat averages 162 frost days, 19 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 80 rainy days per year.
No statistically significant temperature trend emerges for Medicine Hat between 1940 and 2025: over this span, year-to-year swings outweigh the climate signal.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.9 °C (on 24 August 1969) and the coldest -42.4 °C (on 13 January 2024).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
Medicine HatAlberta
- coords
- 50.04°, -110.68°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
5.9°C
Average daily high
11.5°C
Average daily low
0.4°C
Annual rainfall
393mm
Sunshine / day
9.7h
Mean relative humidity
62%
Average peak wind
19.1km/h
Seasonal range
28.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
162 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
19 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
80 d/yr
Annual snowfall
78.7 cm
Average feels-like high
7.9 °C
Average feels-like low
-3.6 °C
Average peak gust
37.6 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
1 d/yr
Solar radiation
14.6 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
No clear trend over this period
Over a short window, year-to-year swings outweigh the climate signal. Try 86 years.
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
39.9 °C
24 August 1969
Coldest day
-42.4 °C
13 January 2024
Wettest day
70 mm
25 September 1986
Windiest day
54.6 km/h
16 March 1951
Strongest gust
101.2 km/h
19 November 1962
Hottest feels-like
38.8 °C
23 July 2007
Coldest feels-like
-48.3 °C
13 January 2024
Snowiest day
29.3 cm
29 May 1982
Sunniest day
15.9 h
25 June 1958
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -3.1 °C | +1.0 °C | 36 mm | +18 mm |
| Feb | -9.2 °C | -7.8 °C | 16 mm | +1 mm |
| Mar | 6.6 °C | +2.5 °C | 9 mm | -12 mm |
| Apr | 12.6 °C | +0.7 °C | 28 mm | -6 mm |
| May | 20.5 °C | +2.5 °C | 41 mm | -13 mm |
| Jun | 22.7 °C | +0.6 °C | 56 mm | -17 mm |
| Jul | 24.4 °C | -2.0 °C | 91 mm | +49 mm |
| Aug | 26.1 °C | +0.3 °C | 59 mm | +21 mm |
| Sep | 25.8 °C | +5.9 °C | 2 mm | -35 mm |
| Oct | 14.2 °C | +1.1 °C | 14 mm | -9 mm |
| Nov | 6.5 °C | +2.8 °C | 21 mm | +0 mm |
| Dec | -0.8 °C | +1.0 °C | 47 mm | +30 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Medicine Hat?
Medicine Hat has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 5.9 °C and it receives 393 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Medicine Hat?
The hottest day measured in Medicine Hat between 1940 and 2025 was 24 August 1969, reaching 39.9 °C.
What is the coldest day in Medicine Hat?
The coldest day measured in Medicine Hat between 1940 and 2025 was 13 January 2024, at -42.4 °C.
Does it snow in Medicine Hat?
Yes. Medicine Hat gets on average 78.7 cm of snow per year and has around 162 frost days.
Has the climate of Medicine Hat warmed?
Between 1940 and 2025, no statistically significant temperature trend emerges in Medicine Hat.
What is the wettest day in Medicine Hat?
The wettest day measured in Medicine Hat between 1940 and 2025 was 25 September 1986, with 70 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Medicine Hat?
The windiest day measured in Medicine Hat between 1940 and 2025 was 16 March 1951, with winds reaching 54.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Medicine Hat?
The warmest month in Medicine Hat is July (20.0 °C on average); the coldest is January (-8.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Medicine Hat?
Medicine Hat receives on average 393 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 80 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Medicine Hat?
Medicine Hat gets on average 9.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,540 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Medicine Hat?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Medicine Hat between 1940 and 2025 was 29 May 1982, with 29.3 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Medicine Hat?
Yes: Medicine Hat has on average 1 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Medicine Hat?
In Medicine Hat, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 38.8 °C on 23 July 2007, and the lowest was -48.3 °C on 13 January 2024.
Compare Medicine Hat with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Medicine Hat