Weather
Parts of Alberta, Canada, experienced unseasonably cold and frosty conditions last week as multiple locations shattered a 120-year-old daily low temperature record. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirmed that Tuesday, July 22, brought overnight lows more typical of autumn than midsummer, including an unprecedented summer frost advisory for the region.
“15:03 Jul 22 2025
FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT for Southern Alberta
Expires: 07:03 Jul 23 2025
Frost may damage some crops in frost-prone areas.Temperatures are forecast to be around 0 degrees Celsius overnight tonight.”
In the Peace River area, the mercury fell to just 2°C (35.6ºF), edging out the previous July 22 record of 2.2°C (35.96ºF) set in 1926. Weather data for Peace River has been maintained since 1907, making this the lowest minimum for the date in at least 118 years. According to NOAA, this exceptional cold was echoed elsewhere:
- Cold Lake: A new record of 2°C, surpassing the previous low of 2.8°C set in 1966 (records since 1952).
- High Level: A minimum of 1.4°C, besting the 1966 record of 2.2°C (records since 1962).
- Lac La Biche: Tied its 1968 low at 3.9°C (records since 1944).
- Red Earth Creek: Set a new record with a 3°C low, beating the 2005 record of 5.9°C (records since 1994).
ECCC noted that preliminary data were used for these summaries, drawn from historical weather stations active across the province.
The cold snap was so pronounced that ECCC issued a rare summer frost advisory for portions of Alberta, including regions stretching from Airdrie to Highway 16. Some higher-elevation zones, such as those near the Brazeau Reservoir, faced the risk of temperatures dropping as low as -4°C (24.8ºF).
Ordinarily, Alberta’s July nights average a comfortable 9°C (48.2°F) in Calgary, with summer days often reaching 23°C (73.3ºF). However, persistent rainfall and cloud cover last week pushed temperatures towards the freezing mark. Residents were advised to take action to guard sensitive plants from frost damage.
- Related: Australia’s Sunshine State Shivers—Rare Tropical Frost Hits Queensland as Cold Records Fall
Despite expectations for a hot, dry summer, southwestern and central Alberta have experienced above-average rainfall this month, compounding the anomaly of July’s cold snap. While the drop in temperature was brief, forecasts indicate a return to typical summer warmth within days.
Feeling like fall in July tonight in the foothills, where temperatures near 0 degrees are forecast overnight. There is a risk of frost with these temperatures, but the cold weather will be short-lived, with temperatures back to the 20s by tomorrow afternoon #abstorm pic.twitter.com/N3WpzXEv8w
— ECCC Weather Alberta (@ECCCWeatherAB) July 22, 2025
