Climate and average weather in Medicine Hat
In Medicine Hat, the summers are warm, fairly dry, and mostly clear and the winters are very cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Medicine Hat typically varies from -12°C to 26°C, and is rarely below -27°C or above 33°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Medicine Hat for warm-weather activities is from mid June to late September.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 26°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -12°
- Wettest
- Jun
- 86 mm
- Driest
- Feb
- 12 mm
- Rain / yr
- 395 mm
- 77 wet days
- Daylight
- 7.8–16.2 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 673 m
- 50.0°N
- Clearest
- Jul
- 42% cloud
Medicine Hat is city in southeast Alberta, Canada.
- Air quality
- Excellent
- PM2.5 5 µg/m³ · 2019
- Density
- 564/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1894
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Medicine Hat weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid June to late September.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Medicine Hat, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.9 months, from May 24 to September 19, with daily high temperatures above 19°C. The hottest month of the year in Medicine Hat is July, with an average high of 26°C and low of 12°C.
The cool season lasts 3.4 months, from November 23 to March 6, with daily high temperatures below 2°C. The coldest month of the year in Medicine Hat is January, with an average low of -12°C and high of -3°C.
Days typically run about 11°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 14°C) in August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | -3 | -1 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 26 | 20 | 12 | 4 | -2 |
| Avg low (°C) | -12 | -10 | -6 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 1 | -6 | -10 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | -3 | -12 |
| Feb | -1 | -10 |
| Mar | 5 | -6 |
| Apr | 12 | 0 |
| May | 18 | 5 |
| Jun | 22 | 10 |
| Jul | 26 | 12 |
| Aug | 26 | 12 |
| Sep | 20 | 7 |
| Oct | 12 | 1 |
| Nov | 4 | -6 |
| Dec | -2 | -10 |
How hot and cold Medicine Hat really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -20°C (around January 6), with roughly 214 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) — 127 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | -3 | -1 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 21 | 26 | 26 | 20 | 12 | 4 | -2 |
| Air high (°C) | -3 | -1 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 26 | 20 | 12 | 4 | -2 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -19 | -17 | -11 | -4 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 5 | -3 | -11 | -17 |
| Air low (°C) | -12 | -10 | -6 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 1 | -6 | -10 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -3 | -3 | -19 | -12 |
| Feb | -1 | -1 | -17 | -10 |
| Mar | 5 | 5 | -11 | -6 |
| Apr | 12 | 12 | -4 | 0 |
| May | 18 | 18 | 3 | 5 |
| Jun | 21 | 22 | 9 | 10 |
| Jul | 26 | 26 | 12 | 12 |
| Aug | 26 | 26 | 12 | 12 |
| Sep | 20 | 20 | 5 | 7 |
| Oct | 12 | 12 | -3 | 1 |
| Nov | 4 | 4 | -11 | -6 |
| Dec | -2 | -2 | -17 | -10 |
Average hourly temperature in Medicine Hat
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 26°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -12°C.
Medicine Hat weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -3° / -12° | 15 | 5 | 5.7 | 8.3 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -1° / -11° | 12 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 9.7 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 5° / -6° | 20 | 5.6 | 4.7 | 11.5 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 12° / 0° | 35 | 7.1 | 2.8 | 13.5 | 3.3 |
| May | 18° / 5° | 53 | 9.4 | 1.1 | 15.1 | 5.7 |
| Jun | 22° / 10° | 86 | 11.1 | 0 | 16.1 | 6.4 |
| Jul | 26° / 12° | 39 | 6.8 | 0 | 15.7 | 7.5 |
| Aug | 26° / 12° | 39 | 6.6 | 0 | 14.3 | 7.6 |
| Sep | 20° / 7° | 34 | 6.1 | 0.3 | 12.4 | 7.0 |
| Oct | 12° / 1° | 26 | 5.4 | 1.5 | 10.5 | 3.7 |
| Nov | 4° / -6° | 21 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 8.8 | 0.2 |
| Dec | -2° / -10° | 15 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 7.9 | 0.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Medicine Hat gets about 395 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 3.3 months, from around Apr 8 to Jul 17, peaking in June at about 38% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Dec 7.
June is the wettest month by volume, with 86 mm over about 11 wet days; February is the driest, with 12 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 16 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 31 | 36 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
| Rain days | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | 5 |
| Feb | 15 | 4 |
| Mar | 19 | 6 |
| Apr | 23 | 7 |
| May | 31 | 9 |
| Jun | 36 | 11 |
| Jul | 23 | 7 |
| Aug | 21 | 7 |
| Sep | 20 | 6 |
| Oct | 18 | 5 |
| Nov | 18 | 6 |
| Dec | 15 | 5 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Medicine Hat collects about 395 mm of rain across 77 wet days — roughly 33 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 86 mm, while February is the driest at just 12 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 45% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 15 | 12 | 20 | 35 | 53 | 86 | 39 | 39 | 34 | 26 | 21 | 15 |
| Rain days | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Snow days | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | 5 | 6 |
| Feb | 12 | 4 | 4 |
| Mar | 20 | 6 | 5 |
| Apr | 35 | 7 | 3 |
| May | 53 | 9 | 1 |
| Jun | 86 | 11 | 0 |
| Jul | 39 | 7 | 0 |
| Aug | 39 | 7 | 0 |
| Sep | 34 | 6 | 0 |
| Oct | 26 | 5 | 2 |
| Nov | 21 | 6 | 5 |
| Dec | 15 | 5 | 5 |
Snow in Medicine Hat
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Medicine Hat averages about 31 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Sep 22 to May 20 — about 7.9 months.
January is snowiest, with roughly 5 days of snow and an estimated 16 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 104 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 16 | 15 | 19 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 15 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | 16 |
| Feb | 4 | 15 |
| Mar | 5 | 19 |
| Apr | 3 | 14 |
| May | 1 | 3 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 1 |
| Oct | 2 | 5 |
| Nov | 5 | 17 |
| Dec | 5 | 15 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Medicine Hat, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around June 16 and lasts for 4.4 months, ending around October 27. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 71% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around October 28 and lasts for 7.6 months, ending around June 15. The cloudiest month is April, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 60% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 41 | 41 | 40 | 40 | 44 | 52 | 71 | 71 | 60 | 53 | 47 | 45 |
| Cloudier (%) | 59 | 59 | 60 | 60 | 56 | 48 | 29 | 29 | 40 | 47 | 53 | 55 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 59 |
| Feb | 41 | 59 |
| Mar | 40 | 60 |
| Apr | 40 | 60 |
| May | 44 | 56 |
| Jun | 52 | 48 |
| Jul | 71 | 29 |
| Aug | 71 | 29 |
| Sep | 60 | 40 |
| Oct | 53 | 47 |
| Nov | 47 | 53 |
| Dec | 45 | 55 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 21, brings about 16 h 12 min of light; the shortest, around December 20, only 7 h 48 min — a swing of roughly 8 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.3 | 9.7 | 11.5 | 13.5 | 15.1 | 16.1 | 15.7 | 14.3 | 12.4 | 10.5 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 8:23 | 7:45 | 6:46 | 5:38 | 4:44 | 4:19 | 4:36 | 5:18 | 6:06 | 6:54 | 7:45 | 8:23 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:41 | 5:30 | 6:18 | 7:08 | 7:54 | 8:27 | 8:21 | 7:35 | 6:28 | 5:22 | 4:30 | 4:15 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.3 | 8:23 | 4:41 |
| Feb | 9.7 | 7:45 | 5:30 |
| Mar | 11.5 | 6:46 | 6:18 |
| Apr | 13.5 | 5:38 | 7:08 |
| May | 15.1 | 4:44 | 7:54 |
| Jun | 16.1 | 4:19 | 8:27 |
| Jul | 15.7 | 4:36 | 8:21 |
| Aug | 14.3 | 5:18 | 7:35 |
| Sep | 12.4 | 6:06 | 6:28 |
| Oct | 10.5 | 6:54 | 5:22 |
| Nov | 8.8 | 7:45 | 4:30 |
| Dec | 7.9 | 8:23 | 4:15 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Medicine Hat averages about 10 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 6 and 18 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 4.1 months, from around Jun 24 to Oct 27. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 15 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is April, down near 7 sunny days — about 56% fewer than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 9 |
| Sky | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Mixed |
| Feb | 8 | Mixed |
| Mar | 8 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 7 | Gloomy |
| May | 8 | Mixed |
| Jun | 9 | Mixed |
| Jul | 16 | Bright |
| Aug | 16 | Bright |
| Sep | 13 | Mixed |
| Oct | 11 | Mixed |
| Nov | 9 | Mixed |
| Dec | 9 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Medicine Hat, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in July, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 3% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 94 | 85 | 92 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 94 | 5 | 1 |
| Jul | 85 | 13 | 3 |
| Aug | 92 | 8 | 0 |
| Sep | 99 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Medicine Hat is typically light breeze, near 13 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 4.6 months, from around Sep 27 to Feb 12. The windiest month is November, averaging about 14 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around May 24 to Sep 26, with August the calmest month at about 11 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | light breeze |
| Feb | 13 | light breeze |
| Mar | 13 | light breeze |
| Apr | 13 | light breeze |
| May | 13 | light breeze |
| Jun | 12 | light breeze |
| Jul | 11 | calm |
| Aug | 11 | calm |
| Sep | 12 | light breeze |
| Oct | 13 | light breeze |
| Nov | 14 | light breeze |
| Dec | 14 | light breeze |
Best time to visit Medicine Hat
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Medicine Hat throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late June, Medicine Hat is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Medicine Hat for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to late September, with a peak score in the last week of August.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 3.3 | 5.6 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 6.9 | 3.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | poor | good | good | good | ideal | good | fair | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.0 | poor |
| Mar | 0.5 | poor |
| Apr | 3.3 | poor |
| May | 5.6 | good |
| Jun | 6.4 | good |
| Jul | 7.4 | good |
| Aug | 7.6 | ideal |
| Sep | 6.9 | good |
| Oct | 3.7 | fair |
| Nov | 0.3 | poor |
| Dec | 0.0 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Medicine Hat for hot-weather activities is from early July to early September, with a peak score in the last week of July.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Medicine Hat, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 26°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near -3°C), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.
In July, Medicine Hat sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 7 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Medicine Hat by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Medicine Hat peaks around July 15 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 1 | Low |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | Moderate |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Medicine Hat
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 4 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 6.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 0.5 | 0 |
| Apr | 5 | 0 |
| May | 6.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 7.5 | 2 |
| Jul | 8 | 4 |
| Aug | 6.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 4.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Growing season
The growing season in Medicine Hat typically lasts about 189 days, from around April 16 to October 21 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from May 16 to September 23.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 11 | 11 | 20 | 51 | 90 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 94 | 58 | 21 | 10 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 31 | 30 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | 31 |
| Feb | 11 | 28 |
| Mar | 20 | 31 |
| Apr | 51 | 30 |
| May | 90 | 15 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 94 | 6 |
| Oct | 58 | 31 |
| Nov | 21 | 30 |
| Dec | 10 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Medicine Hat banks about 874 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 170 | 281 | 267 | 103 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 0 |
| May | 52 |
| Jun | 170 |
| Jul | 281 |
| Aug | 267 |
| Sep | 103 |
| Oct | 0 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Medicine Hat receives about 4.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.1 and 7.0 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Mar 19 to Sep 18. The brightest month is July, averaging about 6.9 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 1.2 kWh/m² — roughly 83% less than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 1.4 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 5.9 | 4.3 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
| Level | Dim | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Dim | Dim |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.4 | Dim |
| Feb | 2.5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4.0 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5.3 | Bright |
| May | 6.2 | Intense |
| Jun | 6.6 | Intense |
| Jul | 7.0 | Intense |
| Aug | 5.9 | Bright |
| Sep | 4.3 | Bright |
| Oct | 2.7 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1.6 | Dim |
| Dec | 1.1 | Dim |
Where is Medicine Hat?
Medicine Hat sits at 50.0°N, 110.7°W, 673 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Lethbridge, 158 km away.
Topography around Medicine Hat
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Medicine Hat.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Medicine Hat has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 91 m around an average of 690 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 195 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 880 m.
The land around Medicine Hat is covered by grassland (38%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 3 km, grassland (64%) and cropland (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (70%) and cropland (28%) within 80 km.
Canada travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 83% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $55,698
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.7 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 97%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 2
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 5.3
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Medicine Hat (50.0393°, -110.6766°, elevation 673 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).