Climate Change Chart of Edmonton, Canada

Overview of climate changes

Changes in snowfall

Mean daily snowfall, averaged across calendar months, had a difference of +0.51 mm/day between the reference periods. This is an unweighted comparison of monthly daily averages, not a monthly total or a day-weighted annual average. The monthly contrasts were mixed: the largest increase was in March, at a difference of +1.52 mm/day, while the largest decrease was in February, with a difference of -0.52 mm/day. These differences concern recorded snowfall averages and do not establish the same change in every month.

Temperature changes

Averaged across calendar months, monthly mean temperature shows a difference of +0.64 °C in the more recent period; this is an unweighted comparison of monthly means, not a day-weighted annual average or a measure of daytime highs. The monthly pattern was not uniform: January had the largest increase, a difference of +3.86 °C, while October had the largest decrease, a difference of -1.02 °C. These extrema describe the changes in those months, rather than implying that every month shifted in the same direction.

Changes in rainfall

Mean daily rainfall, averaged across calendar months, had a difference of +0.29 mm/day between the reference periods; this is an unweighted mean of monthly daily averages, not a monthly rainfall total or a day-weighted annual average. The largest monthly increase occurred in July, at a difference of +1.38 mm/day. In contrast, April recorded the largest decrease, a difference of -0.17 mm/day. Those monthly changes show that the overall average does not describe every month’s direction or size of change.

Changes in sunshine duration

Mean daily sunshine duration had a difference of -0.50 hours/day when averaged across calendar months in the more recent period. This unweighted comparison of monthly daily averages is not a day-weighted annual figure, and it does not mean each month changed by the same amount. The largest monthly decrease was in April, with a difference of -0.87 hours/day; that particular month’s change was greater than the broad mean decrease across calendar months.