Banff Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages
This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Banff, Alberta has snow.
There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Banff usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that Banff normally has heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when the mountain resort town can expect its first and last snowfalls of the season.
All the numbers are long-term historical averages based on weather data gathered from 1981 to 2010 in downtown Banff.
How Often it Snows in Banff
This first table lists monthly and yearly totals for amount of snow and how many days it snows at least 0.2 centimetres (0.08 inches).
| Days | Inches | Centimetres | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.4 | January | 9.5 | 24 |
| 8.5 | February | 8.1 | 20 |
| 8.6 | March | 9.3 | 24 |
| 7.6 | April | 8.5 | 22 |
| 3.5 | May | 5.9 | 15 |
| 0.3 | June | 0.4 | 1 |
| 0.1 | July | 0.0 | 0 |
| 0.2 | August | 0.1 | 0 |
| 2.1 | September | 2.6 | 7 |
| 5.1 | October | 8.0 | 20 |
| 9.2 | November | 12.1 | 31 |
| 9.3 | December | 10.8 | 27 |
| 64.0 | Year | 75.2 | 191 |
When Banff Has Its First & Last Snowfalls
The first snowfall of winter for Banff usually arrives in September. The season's last snowfall typically happens in May. But it can snow any month of the year in Banff.
How Many Snowstorms Banff Gets
Most days of snowfall in Banff leave less than five centimetres (2 inches) of fresh snow on the ground. For 12 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least five cm.
Big snowstorms of over ten cm a day normally occur four or five times a year. But major blizzards that dump 25 cm or more in one day are rare events that don't happen every year. Storms this severe are most likely to appear in May, October or December.
| 5 cm 2.0 inches |
10 cm 3.9 inches |
25 cm 9.8 inches | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| February | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| March | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| April | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| June | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| September | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| October | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| November | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Year | 11.7 | 4.5 | 0.2 |
How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Banff
For about 141 days a year, Banff has at least a centimetre of snow on the ground. In mid-winter the snowpack averages 26 cm deep.
| 1 cm 0.4 inches |
5 cm 2.0 inches |
10 cm 3.9 inches |
20 cm 7.9 inches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31.0 | 31.0 | January | 29.9 | 16.5 |
| 27.5 | 27.1 | February | 23.0 | 16.5 |
| 19.3 | 13.4 | March | 10.1 | 6.2 |
| 5.0 | 2.4 | April | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| 0.8 | 0.2 | May | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.1 | 0.0 | June | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.1 | 0.0 | August | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.8 | 0.3 | September | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 4.9 | 2.1 | October | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| 20.6 | 16.5 | November | 10.1 | 2.6 |
| 30.9 | 29.4 | December | 23.6 | 8.4 |
| 140.9 | 122.3 | Year | 98.9 | 51.0 |
Reference
Environment Canada. Meteorological Service of Canada. Canadian Climate Normals. 1981-2010 Climate Normals & Averages.